The Lion in Winter
by Nerdqueen394
Summary: You're probably wondering how Lance, the hottest Paladin, & pilot of the (amazing) Blue Lion was doing here, surrounded by enemy fire, alone and defenseless. Well blame Keith. Our hero's story begins pretty awesome. Good food, no Galra. The only downside was Keith, & now violent alien race that reminded Lance of Oods from Doctor Who. Overall, not the best way his day could end.
1. A Tale of Terror

**A TALE OF TERROR**

 _A/N: Ok, so, I was reading an amazing fanfic called_ _ **Bars Can't Hold Us**_ _, really good, totally worth reading, and something happens to Lance at the end that got me thinking, could I expand this? I decided yes. So here we go. I present to you, Ice Castles, a fanfic dedicated to Maychorian, a totally awesome writer!_

" _Keith I'm going to kill you!_ " Lance screamed shrilly.

All around him, bright flashes of light from plasma blasts burst like fireworks. Dangerous fireworks that is to say. Really killer fireworks.

Lance was directly in the middle of it, weaponless, armorless, and alone. It was all Keith's fault.

" _Stop complaining Lance, I'm sure Shiro will be okay with us splitting up._ " Lance mimicked Keith as he ran, dodging blasts that burst fiery hot, and too close for comfort. " _It's a peaceful planet Lance, stop being so paranoid,_ WELL WHO'S PARANOID _NOW_ JACKASS?!" Lance screamed.

He knew Keith couldn't hear him. But yelling obscenities about Keith helped Lance release some of his stress. And he had a _lot_ of stress right now.

Of course, dear reader, you are probably wondering how Lance, the cool-headed, funny, and sexy Paladin of Voltron, pilot of the (amazing) Blue Lion was doing here, surrounded by enemy fire, alone and defenseless.

Well blame Keith. Our hero's story begins in a pretty awesome way. Hot alien chicks, new food that _wasn't_ food goo, and best of all, _no galra_. The only downside was Keith.

And now a violent alien race that reminded Lance of Oods from _Doctor Who_. Overall, not the best way his day could end.

* * *

 ** _Earlier That Morning_**

"Lance, please stop glaring at Keith and pay attention, Keith, the same goes for you."

"But Shiro, he-"

Shiro shot Keith a sharp glance, raising his right eyebrow as if taunting Keith to try and finish that sentence. Keith snapped his mouth closed.

The two of them had been arguing since yesterday, after a training exercise featuring Voltron went south. Keith blamed Lance for tripping them, Lance blamed Keith for not catching them _before_ they crushed about a quarter of the Sacred Groves of Sancti.

Needless to say, their constant arguing over who's fault it was, had begun to drive the rest of the team apples and bananas. Which is why Shiro made the decision to pair the two of them up.

"Keith, Lance? You see this planet here?" Shiro pointed to a small planet which lay, floating on the interactive map.

Both nodded.

"It's called Periculum, our scanners show intelligent life on it. Allura and I both decided that you two should go down as diplomats, a show of peace, see if we can convince them to join the fight against Zarkon."

Lance spluttered, "Shiro, but-but _Keith_? Me I understand, I'm as diplomatic as they come, but _Keith_?"

Keith was also arguing, "Shiro, you can't possibly send me out with this idiot, he'll screw the whole mission up by doing something stupid like he always does!"

Shiro raised a hand, making a halt motion. "I know you two don't work well together, but that's why we decided to pair you two up. Your constant arguing is getting out of hand, and Allura and I both agree that you two need to bond more if we want to continue forming Voltron."

"But Keith and I argue all the time!" Lance whined, "And we've never had any problem forming Voltron."

"Up until now, yes, but the longer you continue your rivalry, the more strained your relationship will be with each other. And Voltron requires a _team_ , not a group of pilots vying for first place in a made-up competition."

"But-but-"

"That's my final decision. Now, go get ready, no bayards, and no armor, wear your earpieces just in case, and under no circumstances _split up_ , is that clear?"

"Yes Shiro…" Keith and Lance mumbled dejectedly.

* * *

 ** _That Afternoon_**

"Wow, nice place!" Lance said cheerfully, following the leader of the alien race, Psevdí Vasiliá.

"Thaaaannk yooouuu~" Psevdí Vasiliá warbled. The aliens in general were a pale lilac color, short, and chubby. They had tentacles for feet, and bulbous fish eyes. Their mouths were set in a permanent 'O', and they had pads like a gecko on each of their twenty-six appendages.

They were a peaceful bunch, hunter gatherer's. They lived in elegant jungle huts. It seemed weird to describe them that way, but that's what they were.

Bright neon plants blossomed all around, ten times larger than most earth flowers. It was hot and humid, but a cool fruity breeze blew softly, making the temperature bearable.

Lance had immediately felt right at home, having grown up in a hot and humid place himself. Keith meanwhile, found the air stifling and thick. It was hard to breath, and sweat had gathered in places sweat should never be.

He lingered behind the rest of the group, trying hard to get a full breath of oxygen. Lance, unaffected by the weather, was walking side by side with the leader up front, admiring the view and completely sucking up to Psevdí Vasiliá.

"I truly love your buildings here Psevdí, your people are amazing architects."

"Yoooouuuu prrrraaaaisse usss toooooo muuuuch Bluuuee Paaaladiiin~"

"I fear I do not praise you enough your majesty."

Psevdí grinned, well, as much as an 'O' mouthed alien _can_ grin. "Iiiifff yooouuu liiike oouurrrr buuuiiildiiingsss Paaaaladiiiin, yooouuuu willll looovve theeee fooood eveeeen moooorre~"

"If it is as exquisite as the rest of your planet, I thoroughly look forward to enjoying your cuisine!"

Keith had no clue what a suck up Lance could be when he wanted to. Lance was earning them serious brownie points, and Keith was glad Lance was doing the talking and not him. Of course, he would never let Lance know that. Lance's ego was already big enough.

Finally, after miles of trekking uphill in unbearable heat, the group made it to the biggest hut, where Psevdí led them inside.

A small wooden table sat in the middle, and bowls of strange and vibrant fruits lay scattered across it. Keith's mouth watered at the sight. _Food_.

He moved forward to begin eating, but Lance grabbed his arm, stopping him.

" _Lance, what are you doing?_ " He whispered out the side of his mouth.

" _I have a bad feeling about them, they're too friendly, too welcoming. Psevdí doesn't know who the galra are, I asked him. This place is a regular old paradise._ " Lance whispered back.

Keith frowned, " _Earth hasn't heard of the galra either Lance, maybe this planet has been spared by the war, it's a biguniverse you know. Some are bound to be paradise._ "

" _That's the thing Keith, you deal with weird intergalactic space tech and mystical powers for long enough, you learn that paradises are usually where you get killed._ "

Psevdí gave them both nervous glances, "Iiiiisssss eeeverrrrythiiing alriiiiggghht Paaaaladiiin'sss~?"

Lance turned away from Keith, smiling widely, "Of course your highness, my friend and I were just discussing how happy we are to be here."

Keith snorted and Lance glared at him, then snapped back to smiling.

Psevdí sighed in relief, "Iiii ammm glaaaad to heeaaarrr iiitt, nooow pleeeaaase, enjoooyyy sooooome ooooof oouuur fooood~"

Keith dove in without a second thought, starving from the long hike up here. Lance, on the other hand, restrained himself.

"Doooo yoooouuu nooooot wiiiissshhh toooooo taaaassssteeee ooouuuurr foooood~?" Psevdí asked.

"Oh no, it looks magnificent, I was only wondering if you were going to eat with us?" Lance smiled wider.

Psevdí chuckled, "Iiiiii aaaam afraaaid Iiii haaave soooome impooortaaant mattters toooo ateeeend tooooo, pleeeaaase, eaaat, aaaaand feeeel freeeee tooo eeeexplooooore theeeee reeeest offff theeeee plaaaaneeeet iffff yooouuu wiiiisssshhh. Myyyy haaaanddmaaaidens wooould beee glaaad tooo shoooow youuuu arrrouuund~" Psevdí gestured to three pretty alien girls, then left.

"Eaaat Paaaalaaadiiin, eaaat~" Pushed one of the handmaidens.

But Lance had been in a similar experience before, only with mermaids. He didn't trust the food. He bowed to the girls, "I'm sorry ladies, but I must ask you to leave, if only for a moment. I wish to speak to my friend here."

They looked at each other, then back at Lance in confusion. "Buuut Paaaaladiiin, weeee haaaave beeeen ooordeeered noooot tooo leeeaaave yooouuur siiiide."

 _Not to leave our side?_ Yeah, that wasn't suspicious at all.

Lance changed his posture, becoming relaxed, he leaned forward towards the girls. He smiled coyly, and raised an eyebrow. Brushing what Lance figured was hair back behind the leader of three girls ear, he whispered seductively.

" _Don't worry, I'm sure your king won't mind if you leave me alone with my friend for just a few ticks._ "

"J-juuuust a feeeww tiiiicks~?" She was blushing furiously.

" _Just a few ticks, then, I'm all yours for the day._ "

Gone was the pale lilac, the girl had turned a bright shade of pink. She turned and pushed the other two girls out. "Juuuuust a feeeeww tiiicks~" She told Lance, although it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself that this was okay.

As soon as they left, Lance spun around and slapped a neon blue fruit, similar to an orange, out of Keith's hand.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?" Lance snarled.

"Not eating apparently." Keith growled, reaching for more food.

Lance slapped his hand again, "Did you miss that whole conversation? I don't trust these guys, not one bit."

Keith rolled his eyes, "It's a peaceful planet Lance, stop being so paranoid."

"Paranoid? **_I'm_** being paranoid?"

"Yes."

"You're not paranoid enough Keith! What happened to shoot-first-ask-questions-later Keith?"

"What'd'ya mean?"

"You're usually _waaay_ more paranoid than I am." Lance froze. Keith was always paranoid, so how come he wasn't paranoid right now? He had gone for the food without a second thought, as if he had been less paranoid _before_ they reached the dining room. So when-?

"Paaaaladiiin, haaaaveee yoooouuu eaaateen yeeet~?" The three handmaidens had returned. Lance quickly picked up the half eaten blue fruit from where it had landed.

"Of course!" He said, showing them the bite marks. Lance worried for a second that Keith might inform the girls of his lie, but Keith was too busy stuffing his face.

The girls smiled, relieved, "Gooood~" the lead handmaiden warbled. She crawled over to Lance, looping a tentacle arm around the nook of his elbow. "Aaarrreee yoooouuu reeeaaady~?" She asked, blushingly.

"Um, ready for what?" Lance chuckled nervously.

She smiled, "Yooouuu saaaid yooouu weeerreee miiine fooor theeee reeest ooof theee daaaay, reeeemeeeemberrr~?"

Lance paled, "Oh yeah." _Stupid stupid stupid,_ he chastised himself. "A-and what about Keith?"

"Heee wiiillll beeee goooiiing wiiiith uuuus." Giggled one of the other girls. They both strung their tentacles around Keith's arms, who smiled dreamily.

Now Lance knew for _sure_ something was off. Keith never smiled. Especially not like that.

"Um, see, Keith and I aren't really supposed to separate you see-"

"Stop complaining Lance," Chided Keith, "I'm sure Shiro won't mind us splitting up."

Lance was going to _kill_ Keith. So much for Shiro's 'Bonding Moment' plan.

Lance was pulled harshly by the arm, and dragged him away from Keith. Deeper and deeper they went into the forest, until they reached a clearing.

"Ummm...where did you take me?" Lance looked around, "Where are we?"

She smiled, but this time it was cold. Harsh and cruel. "I took you to meet the masters."

Lance's blood froze. Her voice had lost its' warbel, instead, it echoed sharply in his head.

"T-the masters?" Lance laughed nervously, "Um, I'm afraid Shiro had some rules for us, see, 1: Don't eat pizza with pineapple, 2: Don't follow strange girls into forests, and 3: Stay away from anyone with name 'master'. And I appear to be breaking two of those rules so we'd best head back to Keith huh?" Lance was talking faster now, turning around, he tried to make a dash for it.

Unfortunately, her voice wasn't the only thing that had changed. She was faster than a viper and stronger than a cobra. Her tentacles wrapped around Lance and held him in place before he could even get a few feet away from her.

Lance giggled in a high pitch tone, "N-now now, I'm all for hugging pretty ladies and such, but, uh," He licked his dry lips, "I-isn't it a little soon? I mean, we just and all so-"

"Silence." She hissed, "The masters, they come!"

Lance's lungs stopped working, his heart pound, fast and hard against his ribs. If the tentacled creeper hadn't been holding him in a death squeeze, Lance's jelly legs would have already betrayed him and dumped his body on to the ground.

An ominous tune began to flutter through the trees, a mist flowed across the ground, and seven tall beings seemed to grow from the trees, melting off of the bark.

They were slender, tall, and gangly. They had arms and legs, but the fingers seemed only half formed, stuck together by some kind of wet goo. Their skin was a dirty brown, and their eye's bulged, too large for their head. A thin membrane covered the eyes, giving them the eerie image of being open and closed at the same time. Their mouths were forged by a stretched out patch of skin, out of which octopus tentacles wiggled like they had a mind of their own.

It was like something out of a horror movie. They wore black robes, which fluttered in the wind as they floated over to Lance.

The sky had grown dark and stormy, and the air had done a complete 180°, switching from hot and humid, to cold and dry.

" _Who have you brought us Kakó?_ " It's voice rang hollow in Lance's head.

He couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't blink, couldn't do anything. He had heard of being paralyzed with fear before, but this was the first time he had actually experienced it.

Most of the villains Lance faced had always been predictable, or easy to understand. They wanted money, power, fame. They felt angry, jealous, spiteful. They had beating hearts, working lungs, analytical brains. They followed patterns, made choices, and were so easily identified as evil. And Lance had always had his friends to help him, and his bayard, and his lion.

Not today though. Not right this minute.

They didn't have beating hearts thumping loudly in the quiet forest. They didn't have stuttered gasps like Lance, or anticipated, bated breaths like Kakó. Lance couldn't read their mind, or see emotion on their face. He had no idea why they wanted him, or what their plan was. All he knew, was that the aura they gave off was incredibly old. And powerful.

And it scared the _hell_ out of Lance.

" _Masters, I have brought you a Skáfos, he was unaffected by your magic, he senses you._ "

Lance found his voice again, "Listen _chica_ , I don't know what a Skáfos is or who the hell all these Slenderman wannabe's are, but I sure as hell know when it's time to run, so-" Lance bit down hard on the tentacle holding him, a sour taste, like rotting fruit filled his mouth.

Kakó cried out in pain and released him.

" _Adiós perra!_ " Lance called out as he began running as fast as he could. He heard Kakó calling out, he looked behind him and saw a whole army of lilac aliens, all toting guns, chasing after him.

" _No no noooo._ " Lance pushed himself to keep running, but he had no clue where he was, and trees blended with his surroundings, turning him this way and that.

Blood pounded in his ears, his lungs burned like fire, his legs had gone numb and tingly. Little cuts appeared on his skin where branches dug their fingers into him, as if to slow his escape. He could taste his own blood, metallic, tangy, mixing with the rotten taste of Kakó's blood.

Adrenaline helped to keep him moving. As did the growing panic that had lodged itself in his gut since the very beginning.

He remembered his earpiece, and reached up to turn it on, but was horrified to find only static filling his ears. _He couldn't contact Shiro_.

That left only Keith.

Great. The one time Lance actually needed him, and he was getting high off of whatever damn magic filled this planet.

Lance felt a wave of heat pass by his face as plasma blast after plasma blast narrowlessly missed him.

"AAARRRGGGHH, THIS IS ALL KEITH'S FAULT!" Lance shouted. To his surprise, it made his situation a little less stressful.

" _Keith I'm going to kill you!_ " Lance screamed shrilly.

All around him, bright flashes of light from plasma blasts burst like fireworks. Dangerous

fireworks that is to say. Really killer fireworks.

Lance was directly in the middle of it, weaponless, armorless, and alone. It was all

Keith's fault.

" _Stop complaining Lance, I'm sure Shiro will be okay with us splitting up._ " Lance

mimicked Keith as he ran, dodging blasts that burst fiery hot, and too close for comfort. " _It's a_

 _peaceful planet Lance, stop being so paranoid,_ WELL WHO'S PARANOID _NOW_ JACKASS?!"

Lance screamed.

Then, Lance saw it. The edge of the forest.

He was so close.

Just a little farther.

One of the strange tree aliens Lance had met popped into being right in front of Lance. He was going to fast, he couldn't stop.

The thing raised its' hand. A black cloud billowed out and enveloped Lance in cold, suffocating darkness. He tried to scream, but he couldn't make a sound.

He couldn't see, couldn't move, couldn't hear, couldn't speak. The thing clenched its fist, and the black cloud and him evaporated.

Only a single, broken, blue earpiece, nestled in the ground, gave any proof that Lance had been there.

And for those who did not see the earpiece, crying out giving testimony to what had happened, well…

It was as if Lance had vanished into thin air, never to be found again.

 _A/N: Muwahahahahahahahahaaaaa…. I_ _ **love**_ _cliffhangers so much. Let me know what you think of the story so far by commenting below or following me on AO3, , or my Tumblr account, nerdqueen395 (so creative I know). Anyway, be sure to check out Maychorian for some awesome fanfictions. I think she's only on AO3, so go read some of her stories while I write...CHAPTER 2: WHITE OUT_


	2. Whiteout

**WHITEOUT**

 _A/N: Okay, so, uh TRIGGER WARNING: VIOLENCE, LANGUAGE, TORTURE, BASICALLY A LOT OF PHYSICAL AND MENTAL PAIN. This story is gonna be_ _ **super duper**_ _dark, I suggest not reading ahead if such things bother you. No, I will_ _ **not**_ _kill Lance, he's my baby. I love him…. That's why I put him through pain… ugh. I'm such a terrible person._

When Lance awoke, everything hurt. His head was pounding like a hammer, his stomach was churning, his muscles were cramped, and every little scratch from his attempt to escape stung like hell.

He ground, and tried to open his eyes. He shut them again. Too bright. He opened them slower, trying to get used to it.

Eventually, when Lance was able to see clearly, he took notice of where he was.

He touched the cramped walls to be sure.

Yup. Bark. Lance was being held captive in what appeared to be the hollowed out root, albeit a big root.

He took a couple deep breathes. _Okay, first things first, take note of what I know has happened and what is happening right now,_ he thought.

1: Keith and I went to visit planet as diplomats

2: Said planet apparently turned Keith into a mindless hippie obsessed with fruit

3: I was somehow not affected, which made me special or something

4: Crazy lady tries to kidnap me and sell my soul to the Slenderman gang

5: I get chased by aliens, and fail to contact team.

Lance frowned and reached up to touch his ear. Uh oh.

6: Lost earpiece, Allura will not be pleased.

7:Captured by one of the Slenderman

8: Ummm...Woke up inside a root.

Hmmm. Lance felt like there should be more in between #7 and #8, but...all he could remember was pressing darkness.

Speaking of darkness, why was it so light in here? Lance leaned in closer to the walls of the root, and found his answer.

Yellow fungi grew across every ridge and crease, glowing a soft yellow, and, despite the circumstances, Lance actually found it moderately comfortable in there.

The walls were slightly palpable, and green moss spread thick below Lance's feet, making the floor soft and cozy.

That was, until a webbed hand grew from the bark and pulled Lance out.

What was being pulled through a tree like? Painful. Very painful.

It felt like every molecule of his body was being pulled apart and slapped back together like a five year olds art project. It burned too. Like that time Anton gave Lance an indian burn on his left arm. It had left a large welt on his skin for weeks, and Anton had been grounded for twice as long.

It was also wet. There was a loud sucking noise, and Lance found himself shaking, as a substance that could only be described as tree mucus, clung, slick and wet to his aching body.

" _You awaken._ " Said one of the Masters.

"Yeah, I noticed that _pendejo_ , next time give me a little warning before you pull me through a frickin' tree." Lance was shivering. The tree mucus was cold, and a slight breeze blowing across his skin only made it colder. The sky was still as dark and stormy as he remembered it.

" _The experiments may begin._ "

Lance felt his breathing hitch, "Um, experiments? Like-like social? Medical? I don't think my insurance will cover it, so, I-I better not."

" _Quit your senseless babbling._ "

Lance felt his mouth shut with a click. He tried to open it, but found to his horror he couldn't. That bastard had gagged him using some kind of weird tree magic!

Another 'Master', tied Lance's hands together. With a branch. Lance had the feeling that if he ever got out of here alive, he'd have a life long vendetta against tree's.

No, not _if_ , _when_. He _was_ going to make it out alive. Afterall? Who would be there to save Keith's ass if Lance didn't escape?

A sharp tug on his torn up hoodie, and Lance found himself being pulled into a hidden tunnel. Dark, dank mud made its home in Lance's cuts, making them sting even more.

Down, down, down. Spiraling tiers of mud and fungi sped by. Darker, darker, darker. Until a bright room, similar to that of the root came into view.

Directly in the middle was a makeshift table, formed from intertwined roots.

Yeah. Lance _definitely_ hated trees now.

One of the Masters tossed him upon it, tying his wrists and hands down. Lance struggled against them, but couldn't move.

" _Beginning testing on magic compatibility._ " A voice hummed in his brain.

A large, webbed hand slowly descended until it hovered about an inch above Lance's face. The hand began to glow a soft yellow.

And all Hell broke loose.

Burning, agonizing pain. Pain with a vice-like grip. Hungry flames of magic gnawed on his very soul. It hurt from the inside out.

A hollow feeling spread through his body. He felt empty, devoid of all things human except for pain.

But the pain wasn't the worst of it. Lance tried so hard to scream, to vocalize the agony he was going through...but he couldn't make a sound. Lance was forced to suffer in violence.

The world faded in and out from view, a high pitched noise engulfed Lance, drowning out all other sounds. He couldn't breathe, his heart beat irregularly. His body shook and convulsed. He couldn't think clearly, only three words pounding in his mind.

 _"_ _Let me die, let me die, let me die."_ Unending pain, gagged and suffocated, hidden inside. Unable to cry out for it to end, to let him die already.

All Lance could see now was a blinding white.

It felt like a million years had gone by before the glowing hand retreated. It took Lance a while to realize it was over.

His body was still shaking uncontrollably, his skin felt cold, but his insides felt like a hollowed out pit filled with an empty fire.

Silent tears fell down his face, and Lance desperately wished to make a sound.

 _"_ _Testing complete, magic compatibility conclusive. Positive."_ The voice now boomed in his head, only increasing his pain.

The torture was over, but the pain remained.

Lance was untied, and dragged back to his prison cell inside the root. The magic keeping him from speaking ended as soon as he was shoved, painfully through the roots of the tree.

As soon as he was inside, he screamed. He wailed and he hollered, he howled out to a family left on earth, he cried out for a family still in orbit, not knowing what had happened on the planet below.

He sat there, screaming and crying, curled up in the fetal position on the floor for the rest of the night.

Everything burned and burned, Lance didn't know which he wished more, for the burning to end, or for him to die.

His soul felt carved out, and his head never stopped its insistent pounding. Over and over, the same pattern, _let it end, let it end, let it end_.

He had never felt so alone. He yearned, not only for relief, but for comfort. A tight hug, a rough pat on the head, a joking punch on the arm, a warm cuddle...Lance craved human interaction like a druggie craved his next fix.

It hurt so much. And nothing could ease his pain.

* * *

"Allura!" Shiro raced to catch up to her, "Allura!"

She turned to face him, "Oh, hello Shiro, what is the matter?"

Shir leaned over, placing his hands on his knees. He panted for a little bit, having run across almost the entire ship in order to find her.

When he finally caught his breath, he spoke, "Allura, have you heard from Lance or Keith recently? I tried to contact them but…." All Shiro had been greeted with was static.

Lance and Keith had not gone down on good terms, so Shiro was expecting complaints to come rushing through the com-link almost immediately. To his surprise, (and increasing worry) the line stayed silent.

Allura tapped her chin, thinking, "Hm, no I haven't Shiro, it's odd they haven't contacted us yet, perhaps they bonded sooner than we thought they would?"

Shiro shook his head, "No way, they're too strong headed to bond _that_ quickly, I feel like we should send a team down to check on them, what do you think?"

Allura nodded, "I agree, if anything happened to them...well." She sighed, now as worried as Shiro. "I'll go down, my Altean abilities make it easier for me to be a good diplomat, which we may need if there's been a misunderstanding."

Shiro nodded, "You should take Pidge and Hunk, you'll never know when you may need Pidge's brain, and I should probably stay behind to guard the ship with Coran, so you'll need Hunk to help fight."

Allura nodded, "Good idea, I'll go inform them." She turned to go prepare for the mission, only to feel Shiro's cold, galra hand grab her arm. "Shiro?"

His eyes were inscrutable, "Hey, Allura? Be careful down there, I have a bad feeling about that place."

Allura nodded, "Of course Shiro."

And with that, she turned around, her white hair flowing behind head. It would be the last Shiro ever saw of Allura for a long time.

* * *

Keith was tired...wait...was he tired? He didn't know. The slight buzzing feeling that had greeted him when he and….what was that kids name again? Lance. Anyway, the buzzing had grown until it overpowered his brain. Colors and images flowed and shifted, merging together. An insistent voice, calm and persuading, kept telling him to relax

 _"_ _You are safe, this is home, you are one of us. Forget your life before, it meant nothing."_

He knew he was supposed to be doing something, something _very_ important. But what it was, he couldn't remember.

He was happy, calm, at peace. But those feelings felt wrong, fake. Colors vanished, leaving behind only black and white.

However, no matter what he did, those feelings wouldn't go away. After eating that delicious fruit, Keith's memory had begun to wan.

Who was he again? Why was here? Where exactly _is_ here?

Something was missing, a person? But who?

His stomach hurt. Why? His head was pounding. What did it mean? His heart twanged as if he had lost something important. But what did...he couldn't remember his name anymore...

All Keith knew, was that whatever hole he had fallen into, was getting deeper and deeper.

And Keith just kept falling.

 _A/N: Bum bum bum…. So uh...This chapter made me_ _ **really**_ _depressed. I try to keep my stories accurate, so I actually looked up what torture felt like and….it was not fun for me. Or for Lance. Yeah...This story is gonna get_ _ **really**_ _dark, but I'll try to warn people of triggering parts whenever they happen...which will happen a lot._


	3. Misery

**MISERY**

 _A/N: This chapter title is what I feel writing this. TRIGGER WARNING: Electric shock torture, or, as I learned via my long, depressing, research: Parrilla. Ugh. I hate this, but at the same time I can't get enough Hurt!Lance...so I guess I'll continue._

Lance hadn't realized he had fallen asleep until he woke up in cold sweat. He couldn't remember what he had been dreaming about, but it had been bad.

His muscles screamed as he pushed himself up to a sitting position and leaned against one of the bark walls.

He cringed, touching his hand to his chest. The hollow, burning sensation was still there. It didn't feel as bad as it had during the 'Experiment', but it still hurt.

It felt like a ghost from the past, there to haunt him until his untimely demise.

Nope. No. Noooo nononono. He couldn't think that way. Ne positive.

Crashing waves against the shoreline, a mothers laugh, a father's encouragement, the smell of homemade _ropa vieja_ , a sister's favorite song, playing loudly as she danced with her little brother.

Lance managed to smile, calming down at that memory.

It had been when _Abuelo_ was alive. It was his 80th birthday, and glowing lights had been strung all around the yard. His _tia y tio_ were serving up some of Lance's favorite food, the spices filling the air with a delectable smell.

"Lance!" It was Maria, "Come dance with me!" It was her favorite song, Guantanamera.

Lance's father pushed him forward, " _Vamos Lance!_ "

Lance's mother laughed as Maria, graceful as ever, attempted to dance with Lance, a boy with the worst two left feet in the world. They kept dancing and dancing, his father cheering, his mother laughing.

They tripped and landed on the shoreline. Maria smirked, then began splashing Lance, the song still playing loudly in the background. Lance splashed back, giggling as his clothes became soaked with cold, salty water.

The Lance who was being held prisoner began to sing the song softly under his breath.

 _Yo soy un hombre sincero  
De donde crece la palma,  
Y antes de morir yo quiero  
Echar mis versos del alma.  
Mi verso es de un verde claro  
Y de un carmín encendido:  
Mi verso es un ciervo herido  
Que busca en el monte amparo.  
Cultivo una rosa blanca  
En julio cómo enero,  
Para el amigo sincero  
Que me da su mano franca.  
Con los pobres de la tierra  
Quiero yo mi suerte echar:  
El arroyo de la sierra  
Me complace más que el mar.  
(A/N: I will put the translation in the notes below for anyone who wishes to know them!)_

Lance didn't feel the tears, falling softly, down his cheek.

For a moment, Lance felt safe and happy, but the moment was shattered by a hand reaching through to pull him out.

Once again, Lance's mouth was shut through magic, and he felt himself dragged down the room where he was fastened to the table.

Blood pounded in his ears as he tried to breath through his nose. He was scared, no, _terrified_ , of what was coming.

" _Magic compatibility positive, now transferring land magic into #521_ "

Aw great, now Lance was being assigned a number. He remembered learning about the holocaust back in grade school, and how the Nazi's had assigned numbers to the prisoners in an attempt to make them feel useless, comparing them to animals.

Lance felt like that now. He badly wanted to break the spell on his mouth and yell at them, telling these so called 'Masters' what his name really was.

 _I am Lance I am Lance I am Lance._

The hand that approached Lance was different this time. Electricity arced and crackled around the webbed fingers.

Lance's heart froze.

The hand touched his chest and lighting began to flow into Lance's body.

The pain was immediate, sharp, and blinding. Lance stopped thinking completely as the pain began to control every movement. Blood welled up in his mouth, his body convulsed, his heart jolted.

The lightning kept flowing, but it never stayed. Lance felt his body push it away, as if it were a puzzle piece that didn't fit.

Abrasions appeared on every inch of his body, his ears popped, and his left ear went numb.

Then, an unbearable cold began to fill his body, fighting the lightning. Frost began to grow in creeping vines across his body, and then across the aliens brown hand.

It pulled it's hand away with a shriek, and the electrocution ended.

Lance's body shook as he wheezed, trying to breath.

" _How is this possible?!"_ The alien said, " _What trickery is this?_ "

The magic that gagged Lance fell away and he took a deep, shuddering breath.

"What do you mean? What happened?" Lance panted.

"" _You already have magic, impossible, you are empty! You have not been initiated!_ "

"Listen _cabron_ , I have no idea what the HELL is going on, but I suggest you let me go before my friends I kill every one of you _pinche hijo de putas_."

" _Quit your babble and explain! Where does the magic come from? Who are you?!_ "

"Name's Lance, nice to meet you too, I'm a paladin of Voltron, pilot of the Blue Lion and one of the worst possible enemies you could have ever dared to make." He glared at the alien with all the fiery anger he could muster, and he could have sworn he saw it shudder.

" _Voltron? What is Voltron?"_

"Only the most powerful weapon in the universe, able to defeat whole armies in a matter of minutes. That includes yours Slenderman, unless you let me and my friend go free _right now_." Lance growled, and the alien took a step back.

" _You will have to be broken, if we cannot turn you into one of us, then we will have to control you. Your power will be ours Paladin, we are patient, it will only be a matter of time before you lose sense of who you are. And when that happens, you will be ours for eternity_."

"Hmm. See, eternity's a _loong_ time, and I don't think you have much time left, so, good luck with that plan."

It laughed, _"You truly believe your friends will come to save you? Your friend, the red one, has completely forgotten who he even_ _ **is**_ _, and you expect him to remember you? The same goes for all others who aren't vessels for magic. They forget who they are, and the food transforms them into the people of the village._ "

Lance stopped breathing, "You-you mean Keith is going to become one of _them_?!"

The alien nodded smugly.

"And-and what of those who _are_ these-these vessels, what happens to them?"

" _We unleash their potential, then they become one of us."_ It growled, " _But you are different, you already have magic, a magic I have never before seen_."

Lance gulped and licked his dry lips, "Y-you tried to turn me into one of you?"

But the alien was done talking, it silenced Lance again, then brought him back up to his cell, tossing him through the root.

Lance groaned in pain as tree mucus dripped from his ruined clothing. He lifted his shirt to do a damage check, and was amazed and horrified to find a white pattern,like the veins of a leaf, flowing across his skin.

Upon further investigation, he found that the patterns reached across his arms and back as well.

Lichtenberg Figures. People who had been hit by lightning sometimes got them. It traced the pathway the electricity had followed upon contact with his skin.

It started out thick, a big red mark right where the hand had touched him, then branched out across his chest, becoming white and feathering all the way down his arms, thinning out as they moved farther from his chest.

A beautiful mark of a painful experience.

That did it. Lance was going to escape, and no one could stop him. He had to save Keith and his friends.

He looked at his hand flexed his fingers. "I have magic huh?" He murmured, remembering what the alien had told him.

He thought back to when the electricity had been coursing through his body, only to be pushed away by a cold, ever growing frost.

Even though it had hurt, Lance had felt something familiar about the ice. It was ferocious and hard-headed, but also kind and full of love.

Just like the Blue Lion.

Over the past year and a half, Lance had been working hard to bond with Blue, to the point where they could have verbal conversations in their mind while in different parts of the castle.

Lance hadn't told the other Paladin's about this, just in case they hadn't reached that level yet and became jealous of his strong bond with Blue.

Lance had also been doing a bit of digging on the Paladin's of old, and there was one thing that kept popping out of each record, no matter how ancient it was.

 _Cum duo corda factus_

 _Unum autem mentis,_

 _Magicae quod fuerit_

 _Per animae implexis_

It had taken Lance a long time, but eventually (after midnight excursions to..ahem…'borrow' Pidge's computer while she was sleeping) he had been able to transfer the words into English.

 _When two of heart_

 _Become one of Mind_

 _Magic be grown_

 _Through souls intertwined_

Lance had had no clue as to what it meant at first, but now...his fingers tingled.

He stretched out his hand and thought of Blue, of her calm, flowing voice, crashing against his mind like waves in the ocean.

The tingling feeling spread through his body, cooling it down and filling the hollow space in his chest with cold reassurance.

Then Lance watched in wonder as frost began to flow from his hand and incase the cell in a beautiful, sparkling, shell of ice.

* * *

Allura didn't get the feeling that something was wrong until Pidge began complimenting the scenery.

Pidge _hated_ the outdoors, which was quite ironic since she was the Guardian of the Forest.

Allura had felt a heavy presence pressing down on her ever since they had landed. But both Hunk and Pidge had seemed perfectly normal. Until now.

"Hunk!" Allura screeched,m"Get your head out of that flower right now, it might be poisonous or-or carnivorous or even-!"

"Calm down Allura." Came Hunks muffled voice, pulling his head away from the multicolored flower ten times his size.

He had a dreamy look on his face which made Allura feel uncomfortable.

"Hunk, please, get a hold of yourself." She scolded him.

"Allura! Allura!" Pidge screamed.

"Pidge? What's wrong?!" Allura ran up to Pidge worriedly, only to find yet _another_ large flower (this one roughly the size of her head) being shoved into her face.

"Piiidge." Allura warned, pushing the flower away, "What did I say about shoving flowers in my face?"

"But it's so pretty!" Pidge cooed, now taking big whiffs of it's tangy scent.

Yup. No doubt about it. Allura was definitely sure something was wrong with this planet.

She jumped when a large _whump_ sound resonated on the ground next to her. She looked down to see Humk lying on his belly sniffing some tiny, pale blue flowers.

"Hi there you little tootsie rolls!" Hunk said, smiling as he petted their soft, velvety petals.

Allura cringed and leaned back.

 _Very_ wrong.

* * *

Keith felt weird. Smaller. More slick and bumpy than smooth skinned. He was also pretty sure his mullet had disappeared.

Did he used to be purple? _Gasp_ was he turning galra? That would be so cool!

No, wait, galra were the bad guys. This _wasn't_ good.

Why was he here again? Ooh, pretty flower.

Look! More fruit! This one a rich blue color.

Keith frowned. Blue...that color was important.

A flash of a similar blue fruit being smacked out of his hand. Rude. But who was it again that had done that?

It was someone important, they needed help, but why? Keith frowned.

He was about to take a bite of the fruit when he saw the same bitten fruit from his memory, hidden in the corner where maids had missed its presence.

Keith put down the fresh fruit and walked over to the rotting one. Without knowing why, he slipped it into his pocket.

He turned around, what was he doing again? Ah yes, eating fruit.

He paused, patting the rotten fruit in his pocket. A little prickle of worry.

He decided to not eat any more fruit. Why? He didn't know. Only that whoever had told him not to eat it in the first place was his friend. And his friend thought the fruit was bad.

Fruit was bad, friends was good. Purple was bad, blue was good.

And as Keith walked away from the food, he didn't feel the new appendage that had grown from his side, begin to retreat back inside his body, which was now a shade less purple than before.

 _A/N: Ok, after the ice thing I began to feel a little less depressed. Anyway, translation time!  
I am a sincere man  
From where the palm grows,  
And before I die I want  
Cast my soul verses.  
My verse is a light green  
And of a carmine on:  
My verse is a wounded deer  
What are you looking for in Monte Amparo?  
I grow a white rose  
In July as January,  
For the sincere friend  
He gives me his frank hand.  
With the poor of the earth  
I want my luck to cast:  
The stream of the sierra  
I am more pleased than the sea._


	4. Whisper

**WHISPER**

 _A/N: Um so. Just gonna label this whole story TRIGGER WARNING cause literally, ALL THE TRIGGERS. I'm getting kind of tired of trying to explain them all. Just pain, pain all over the place. I've been given waay too much freedom._

Eventually, the ice coating the cell melted away, leaving behind socked moss and mud. It took a while, because it was so quiet in there, but after Lance gave a harsh cough, he noticed something weird.

He couldn't hear out of his left ear.

He opened his mouth to see if it needed to be popped. No change. He slapped the right side of his head to see if it was clogged. No change.

Thanks to the electrocution, Lance was now deaf in his left ear.

Lance began to panic, noticing his voice sounded different, unbalanced. What if his right ear lost it's hearing too? Lance had heard stories about it happening from Maria, who worked at the hospital near their home.

Kids would lose their hearing in one ear, and eventually the other would deteriorate as well, making the child permanently deaf in both ears.

The prospect of being deaf, well….there wasn't room for warriors who couldn't hear an enemy approaching.

Just like the day before, a hand reached through the wall to grab Lance. But this time, Lance was prepared. He knew what he could do now, and nothing was going to keep him from escaping. He had too much to lose. Failure was not an option.

He forced himself to ignore the clamping down of his mouth, the sharp pull on his hands, the sickening smell of rotten plants mingling with mud, the slick tree mucus dripping down his back.

He forget about the hunger, gnawing in his belly, the dryness of his tongue, the burning eyes, the ringing in his right ear and the nothingness in his left.

Instead, he focused on the cold feeling, spreading throughout his body.

Frost grew across the handcuffs, unnoticed by the alien. A sharp _snap_ , the handcuffs broke in two, and the alien pulled away quickly, reacting to the jump scare.

Lance smirked, " _Adios_ bastards.", and then he ran.

He could hear them screeching inside his head, but he kept going. A root lifted up and latched onto his ankle, tripping him. "Ugh!" Lance grunted as he hit the ground, hard. A crushing pressure in his chest, and. Lance could no longer breathe.

But he couldn't give up. He grabbed the root and froze it solid, breaking free. His ankle was swollen and throbbing as he kept running.

More and more plants flew forward in an attempt to stop him, but everything in Lance's view would find itself frozen solid as soon as he touched it.

One of the Masters popped into view in front of Lance, and without even thinking about it, Lance pressed his hand to its chest.

The scream in Lance's head was so shrill and so sharp, that he collapsed in pain, clutching it between his hands.

Ice coated the Alien at a rapid pace. Once it was frozen solid, cracks began to appear, spreading throughout the ice...and then it shattered.

The slenderman form was gone. To Lance's horror, the screaming in his head vanished, replaced by a shrill cry of pain from a girl, around his age.

The worst part was that she was Altean. Lance could see it from the pointed ears and violet checks under her eyes.

She collapsed to the ground in front of Lance, he turned her over, her skin was ice cold.

And Lance saw her eyes, beautiful grey eyes...dead eyes. Open wide in everlasting agony.

He turned his head and vomited. His body shook and he clutched his stomach tight. He had just killed someone. He was a murderer. She was Altean, just like Allura...and now she was dead.

She wasn't supposed to be here, who was she? Why was an Altean on this planet?

He barely felt the rough hands of another Master, lift him up, drag him away, and toss him unceremoniously through the root and back into his cell.

He didn't see the ice creeping off him in vones, coating the walls in thick ice, with sharp icicles dangling precariously above him.

Because all Lance could see, were cold, dead eyes.

* * *

Allura was shocked when she, Pidge, and Hunk were greeted by small lilac creatures, arms laden with bowls of brightly colored fruits.

"Um, hello." Allura gave a little wave, "My name is Princess Allura of Altea, we were wondering if you have seen two others like us, their names are Lance and Keith?" Allura figured she'd be better off getting straight to the point, she didn't like one thing about this planet, not at all.

One of the larger aliens, who appeared to be the king, pushed himself up to the front. "Heeellooooo, Iiiiiii aaaaam Psevdíííí, weeeelcooooomeeeee, pleeeeaaaaseeee, eeeeaaaat~" He gestured to the fruit.

Pidge and Hunk immediately moved forward to taste it, but Allura held them back. "Our friends?" She reminded them, more forcibly this time.

Psvedí's face morphed into that of curiosity, "Yooouuuu aaaarrrreee Alteeeaaaann yooouuu saaaaay~?" Allura nodded.

Psvedí looked at her with a fierce hunger, "Yoooouuu shooouuld taaaake a waaaalk wiiiith meeee, iiiiintooooo the foooooreeeest."

Allura was very confused now, but before she could say anything, a shrill cry of fear and pain split the air.

Allura recognized it.

It, was Keith's.

* * *

Keith was starving, but still he resisted the temptation to eat the fruit, and every time he felt the need to eat force itself upon him, he would reach into his pocket, and feel the lumpy, and hardening fruit.

When the urge became too strong to handle, Keith decided to take a walk.

No more appendages were growing from his body, he had gained a few inches, and his skin was back to being smooth. Although the change was not complete, for he still carried a faint lilac luster.

His memories had still not appeared either. All he knew was that he was missing something important. And that something was blue and annoying.

Keith stumbled, and looked down. He had tripped over something small, so small, if his feet hadn't touched it, he would have never noticed it.

He lifted it up. It was a blue earpiece. The sight sparked something in Keith's brain, he screamed as it hit his head, hard and painful.

And Keith remembered.

 _A/N: Muwahaha...I love pain. Anyway, this will be the last update until the weekend is over, so enjoy it! Next up: PTSD!_


	5. The Frozen Ground

**THE FROZEN GROUND**

Lance had lost all sense of time. Ever since his little attempt to escape, the Masters had not pulled him out.

Lance could have been in there for years, and still not felt any time pass. He had stopped sleeping, the nightmares having grown worse.

Of course, Lance was still haunted by those cold, dead eyes, even while awake. Despite having been fighting a war for a year and half, Lance had yet to see a dead body. He had not envisioned his first being someone whom _he_ had killed with his own two hands.

He didn't speak, didn't move, didn't sleep. The Masters never gave him food, but all the ice Lance had formed gave him plenty to drink once melted.

Lance had made a new discovery. His powers had become more violent with each usage, and the stronger his emotions, the more ice he formed. And sometimes, if Lance was feeling a particularly strong emotion, he couldn't control the flow of ice growing from his own body.

All want of escaping had abandoned him. He lost sense of who he was, the need to die growing stronger with each passing moment.

Deep down, Lance knew he had to get a grip of himself, that he was suffering from PTSD, like Shiro. He knew he shouldn't let it control him, but….

He shivered, more from insatiable fear than from the icy cold that filled the cell and made his breath visible in hot, heavy, pants.

When the Masters finally decided to bring Lance out, they made sure to take extra precaution. Now, instead of one or two dragging down to that horrible room, there were around five. They also had extra binding branches waiting for him, incase he decided to break his first pair.

They needn't have bothered, however. For Lance had given up on any form of resistance. He didn't even flinch when his mouth snapped shut with its audible _click._

The dragged him back down to that dark, dank, room. Once there, the lay him back down the earthy table, using magic to secure his wrists and ankles with roots.

Lance felt his mouth unclench as the magic keeping it shut was undone, one of the aliens leaned in close, until its horrifying face was mere inches away from Lance's.

 _"_ _You are far more powerful than we imagined, no one has ever been able to break our form before. You say you are a Paladin of Voltron, this must be what makes you so powerful. Are there others like you? Tell. Tell us of the others, and you may find your situation more….agreeable."_

Lance ignored what the alien said, choosing instead to ask the question that had plagued him for who knew how long.

"That girl, she was Altean, why did she look like one of you?"

 _"_ _That is not an appropriate answer to our question-"_

"Tell me." He pushed, his voice sounded hollow.

 _"_ _Do you agree to tell us of Voltron if we answer your questions?"_

Lance thought about it. "Yes."

 _"_ _We told you before that when others land on our planet, we search for magic compatibility. Eons ago, we discovered our first true Skáfos, an Altean by the name of Thýma. The magic transfer worked. We pursued more Altean's, we needed more pure blooded Masters, nothing like those halfbreed, made from those who contain none of the essentials required for magic. We gathered twelve Alteans in total, and we took over their bodies, giving them new forms, along with our magic._

 _"_ _But our supply was cut off one day, and no more Alteans came. We were forced to create halfbreeds"_ The alien sneered, _"We had hoped, with the arrival of another Skáfos, we could finally give birth to a new pureblood."_

"So...who were you originally?"

 _"_ _We had no absolute form, we are the land, the plants, the air, everything that thrives here. But we wished for true forms, so we found our own._ "

"You mean you guys are parasites, right? You find someone who you are able to merge with, and take control of their body. That's what you tried to do with me, but I already have something merged with my soul, something a hell of a lot nicer than you guys."

 _"_ _Yes. Unfortunately so. Luckily for us, an Altean has finally landed on the planet after many years. Soon, we will replace the one you killed with a new pureblood."_

Lance winced at the mention of the girl he had killed. "Allura…" Lance whispered to himself. He didn't know how, but he new with a certainly that could shake the earth that Allura had come down to the planet, and that she was in terrible danger now.

 _"_ _Although we cannot merge with you, your magic is different, and could prove vital to us in the future. Now tell us Voltron. Speak!"_

Lance's breathing sped up as he tried to think of a way out of this. An idea sparked in his mind, something so outrageous, only Lance could have come up with it.

And only Lance could do it. This plan, required all of Lance's stupidity and false confidence if it was to work correctly.

The alien was growing impatient, it shot a burst of yellow magic at Lance, which made him clench his teeth in an attempt to keep himself from crying out in pain.

 _"_ _Speak!"_

"Alright, alright, hold your horses, geez." Lance smiled, but his eyes remained cold and hard, filled with both an anger and a hollow pain so fierce, that the alien took a step back.

"Voltron is a massive, and ancient robot, comprised of five lions, each with a special connection to the elements. Sky, Fire, Land, Forest, and Water. Each lion is piloted by a Paladin, a highly skilled warrior. Voltron was built by the alien race whom you enslaved, and it is the most powerful weapon in the universe. And that's why you better be careful about what you do to me, my friends, and that Altean. Because if you dare lay a finger on _any_ of them, then I swear upon my grave, that you will regret it with every _fiber_ or your parasitic being."

 _"_ _Who do you think you are, threatening us? We are the most powerful beings in the known universe, and I suggest you watch your tongue vróma."_ It spat the last word like it was an insult.

"Who am I? I am Luciano Carlos Aguilar McClain. A Paladin of Voltron, pilot of the the Blue Lion, Guardian of Water. I have fought more battles than men twice my age. I have defeated thousands of armies under unbeatable odds.

"I have battled Zarkon, ruler of over a thousand galaxies, multiple times and still live to fight his son, Prince Lotor. I have seen more carnage in my eighteen years of life than you have in your eons. _(A/N: This takes place a year and a half in the future for those of you who are confused. In this future, Zarkon was healed and is back in the fight and Prince Lotor is still fighting as well, also, in case you haven't noticed, Shiro is back!)_

"I can kill a single galra soldier with a single shot from 2,500 meters, and soon, I will add your defeat to my list."

Lance didn't know where all that had come from, but he felt good saying it. The alien was speechless.

Lance smirked, "But of course, my friends just call my Lance."

A flash of yellow, a dull pain, and Lance was thrust into darkness.

* * *

"Keith! Keith!" Called Allura, racing towards where she had heard the scream. "Keeeeiiiith!"

Fears raced through her mind like a herd of stampeding Keltineckers. Had Keith been attacked? Was he injured? What if he was dead! Why hadn't she heard Lance? Where was he? Was he hurt? Dead?

She found Keith crouching at the edge of a forest, clutching his head. His skin shone a pale lilac, but Allura thought she must have imagined it as Keith's skin returned to its pale sheen.

"Keith?!" She fell over onto her knees, gripping Keith's shoulders and shaking him. "Keith, what's wrong, where's Lance?" Pidge and Hunk stood behind her, dreamy smiles and all, giggling and cooing at the forest scenery.

Keith opened his eyes slowly, tears forming, shimmering in the sun as they fell down his cheek. "Allura?" He croaked. His voice was quiet, slow.

"Yes Keith, I'm here, what's going on?"

One of the strange lilac aliens attempted to pry her away from Keith. "Pleeeeaaaaseeee, heeeee iiiiisss noooot iiiiin hiiiiis riiiight miiind, iiiiignooore hiiiiiim~" It pleaded.

Allura shoved them off, "Keith, please, what happened to you?"

"I-I...it's blurry. We landed here, Lance and I. Everything seems fuzzy, I ate some fruit…" Keith turned a sickly shade of green, "Oh gosh, I-I almost became one of _them_." He pointed to the aliens.

"Keith...What do you mean?"

"Th-the fruit, it turns you into them, I managed to stop eating it, which is why I'm not like them right now...but I came so close." He shivered.

"Keith, what about Lance? Where is he?" Allura had begun to shake, dread trickling down her spin in cold rivets.

"He wasn't affected like me, I don't know why. He knew something was wrong, I ignored him….One of those alien girls...she took him...I haven't seen him since, but Allura…" He showed her the earpiece, "I think he's in trouble, they have have him Allura, they have Lance."

* * *

Keiths head still hurt, and his memories were still a little fuzzy, but he _remembered_. He remembered who he was, who Lance was. And Lance was in trouble.

He watched Allura's horrified expression as she realized the situation they were in. Pidge and Hunk were behind her, but appeared unfazed by the revelation, in fact...they seemed….oh no.

They were under the same spell Keith had been under, weren't they? Keith guessed they hadn't eaten the fruit yet, so they probably weren't about to turn into one of those...things. Probably.

Keith looked up. Oh. Looks like they were surrounded by those _things_. And they looked mad. Guess they must have heard his little speech.

He watched as their faces became angry, ferocious, like a snarling wolf eager for the kill. He had to get Allura, Pidge, Hunk, and him out of there. Fast.

"Allura." He warned, "Get ready, I have the feeling there's about to be fight."

Allura looked around, noticing with increasing fear the predicament they were in.

"What do we do?" She asked Keith, "Pidge and Hunk are in no position to fight, and you don't have your bayard."

Keith stood up, pulling Allura to her feet as he did so. "We'll have to do something, we can't just let ourselves be captured, not when Lance needs our help."

But Keith knew they were doomed to fail. There were too many of the aliens, and too little of them.

"On my mark." He muttered to Allura, despite this knowledge. Allura nodded, based on her grim expression, Keith figured Allura had come to the same conclusion he had.

But they weren't about to go out without a fight.

"Go!" Keith punched the nearest alien in the face, and picked up the dropped weapon.

Keith could see Allura from across the clearing, landing hit after hit with her own stolen gun. His own talent in shooting was weak-a rookie's level at best-but he knew that if he didn't relinquish some of his fears and put on the face of bravery that Allura so constantly wore, all of them could perish on this hellbound planet. He mentally searched for ways to weaken the growing force, and decided to aim for the leader of the bunch, Psvédis. It was a simple plan, but it could increase their odds of winning this impossible battle.  
Keith concentrated on Psvédis: On the cruel expression on his face, the rippling of his tentacles as he weaved through the mass of battling aliens, towards Pidge and Hunk, who stood there, smiling, without a care in the world, unaware of their impending doom. Psvédis moved with a swiftness that had not been noticeable before. Keith trained his eyes on the moving figure, breathed in deeply, calming his heart, and stretched his arm forward, pointing the gun that was too small for his hands at his target.

The guns hum was low, Keith could feel the energy, pulsating, begin to gather at the barrel, crackling like electricity. In mere moments, a faint pink light emitted from the muzzle and shot forward, enrobing Psvédi in a light of similar hue. Psvédi's movements halted almost immediately; his mighty tentacles stopped swinging, and his eyes began to widen, the 'O" mouth becoming more of an oval.

He fell to the ground not three feet from Pidge and Hunk. Keith should have been overjoyed at saving his friends and killing the leader.

But Keith felt nothing. He was numb from head to toe. The feeling was made worse when Pidge and Hunk made no indication that they had seen an alien die before their very eyes.

Any hope Keith had had of the battle stopping when Psvédi died was quickly dashed when a blast narrowly missed his ear.

He turned and kept fighting. Screams pierced the air, bodies landed on the ground with increasing multitude, and blasts of all colors painted the sky with deadly precision.

Then, Keith heard Allura's pained scream. He spun around frantically to see the lead handmaiden from before, gripping Allura's hair with an iron grip.

 _"_ _One wrong move and I kill her where she stands."_ She hissed, her voice now echoing in Keith's mind.

"Please," He pleaded, "Let her go, I'll do anything."

The alien sneered, _"You think I don't know that? Grab your friends, the yellow and green one, and come with us peacefully. It seems the Masters have found a use for your kind after all."_

Keith's heart froze, "What-What do you mean?"

 _"_ _I mean that despite all the trouble your friend the blue one caused, the Masters have found you 'Paladins' to be of some importance."_

"The blue one...You mean Lance?"

 _"_ _Yes, it appears he was far more talented than we first believed. Although it seems you do not share his talents, the Master's wish to study you anyway."_

"And-and Allura, what about her? Will you let her go?" Keith pleaded, watching as Allura began to sob."

The alien laughed, _"I'm afraid not red one, this is a child of Altea, something we have not seen in a long time. She is a vital part in my Master's plan."_

"No! _Please!_ " Keith screamed, but he felt a dull blow to the back of his head. The world swam as he keeled over, and Keith found himself swimming in a sea of darkness.

 _A/N: This took me forever to write X_X but, I finished it. And that's what matters. Also, thank you so much for all the wonderful comments! They really help keep this story going!_


	6. Avalanch

**AVALANCHE**

 _A/N: I am so sorry this took so long, I've been pretty busy as of late. My musical is this week (I'm a lead so I have a lot of work to do), papers due, projects, quizzes, tests, work, etc. So please accept my humble apology._

"Urgh…" Lance groaned as he sat up, rubbing the back of his head. It throbbed, and flashes of heat passed through his body. His vision was slightly blurred, Lance's stomach felt queasy, and he turned his head and vomited.

He couldn't quite remember what had happened, but he knew that Allura and the rest of the group was in trouble. He tried to stand, and promptly fell to the ground, dizzy.

Concussion. He remembered vaguely a dull blow to his head, it must have been harder than he thought. He lay on the ground for a little bit, trying to gain his bearings.

The warm smell of his vomit made him feel sick again, so he waved his fingers and encased it in a shell of ice. There. That was better.

When he finally felt up to hit, he sat up again, leaning heavily on the side of his cell, panting. His breathing felt awkward, lopsided. He pressed a hand to chest and winced. His fall in the forest from however long ago must have damaged him more than he thought.

His ribs ached, and his ankle looked swollen. His right ear continued its high pitched ringing, while his left continued to stay silent. His left eye had also begun this weird habit of twitching every so often, probably some leftover nerve damage from being electrocuted.

Overall, Lance was not exactly in the best shape. He pressed his hand to chest again, hissing through his teeth at the tender pain, and slowly formed a small layer of ice across his chest.

"Gah-ah!" He cried out, the ice burned cold, but it was going to be worth the pain in the end. He then leaned down and formed an icy splint on his ankle, wincing at the bitter frost that had begun to stave off an icy fog.

 _"_ _You awaken."_

Lance's head shot up almost instantaneously, he attempted to position himself into a fighting stance, which was difficult given his current ankle situation.

"Who's there?!" He yelled, looking around. No one. Lance was alone inside his cell. It must be some more of that weird tree magic.

 _"_ _Perhaps you will think about what you choose to do here more carefully in the future, Blue One, if you obey our will and no longer resist, you may find your situation more...agreeable."_

"Agreeable-shmeeable, I want you to leave my friends alone, got that _lamecharcos_?"

 _"_ _You continue to fight, why? You know it is futile."_

Lance smirked, "See, that's your problem _amigo_ , humans don't exactly carry the word ' _futile_ ' in their vocab, we're just too damn stupid to give up the fight."

Silence. Then, _"So be it. Fight all you wish Blue One, but in the end, you will break. And when that happens, we will make you ours."_

"Just you try _cabrón_ , we have a saying down on earth, 'What doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger'. So keep on doing what you're doing, see where that gets ya, cause I'm guessing that it's a 99% chance it ends with you _come mierdas_ serving eternity in the fiery pits of Hell."

 _"_ _Is that so? Well, Blue One, I hope you can live up to your promise, for we have a very special gift for you."_

A sharp pain pierced Lance's head, he clutched it between his hands and cried out, and then, images and voices began to flash through his mind.

 _Huddled in a cell, similar to Lance's, lay three figures. One large, one tiny, and one caught in the middle. The latter was the only one awake. He pounded on the root wall, crying, screaming._

 _"_ _You bastards! Let us go! Leave Allura alone! Don't you even_ _ **think**_ _about touching her! I will rip you apart limb from limb!"_

 _The scene changed, and Lance saw a girl, with iridescent eyes, once twinkling in joy, now widened in fear. Soft, white hair, carefully groomed to perfection spread wide and tangled. A rich, creamy, brown complexion, now paled and tear streaked._

 _"_ _Please, leave me alone! Don't touch me!" She shrieked, as they dragged her into an earthen cell, where she would wait until preparation was complete._

 _"_ _Let us go! You cannot do this, set my Paladins free!" She pleaded, but her captors ignored her._

"ALLURA!" Lance screamed, and the vision shattered. Lance's fists were clenched, knuckles white, at his side. Burning tears ran down his face as he ground his teeth. "No! No...no." His voice got quieter, then he began pounding the walls as hard as he could.

"Let them go! I'll do anything you want, just let. Them. Go." But the guard was gone. Lance fell to his knees. "Please…" he whispered, "Just let them go…"

Ice coated the cell once more, and Lance was left shivering, fear buzzing in his mind like an angry hive of bees.

And Lance broke.

* * *

Shiro's worry had been increasing bit by bit ever since Allura had left. Her coms had fizzed out when she had landed on the planet, and Shiro was left to wonder what had happened in silence.

Coran had left a while ago to go and see if he could fix the problem, so Shiro was sitting in the 'living room' , as some of the Paladin's had decided to call it, trying to think about things _other_ than what might have happened.

Shiro groaned, and placed his head in his hands. It was no use. He just couldn't focus with all this worry. He made the decision to go down to the hangers and visit Black. She always managed to calm him down.

He sat up from his chair, and began to walk down. As he got closer, Shiro began to hear a soft sound, getting louder and louder the closer to the hangers he got.

The sound of metal groaning, doors being rammed, and the roaring of a lion. Shiro began to run, and much to his surprise, he found, not an enemy, but Blue.

Blue was ramming herself into the doors which led outside over and over again, as if trying to escape. The other lions were pacing nervously around the hangar.

"Black, what's going on?" Shiro asked frantically. A low hum in the back of his head, and Shiro had his answer.

"Lance is in trouble?" Without wasting another second, Shiro clambered into his lion, and pressed the button that opened the hangar doors.

"Let's go." He said.

( _Meanwhile…_ )

"Shiro!" Coran shouted, running around, trying to find Shiro. "Shiro! I found some information about the planet, deep in the archives, you won't believe-" Coran stopped talking.

Just outside the window, Coran could see a Black and Blue Lion, racing towards the planet surface.

"Oh dear.." Coran said weakly, "This will not end well."

* * *

"Let us go!" Keith screamed, "Let us go now, or else I'll-!" Keith stopped as a shuddering gasp of pain resounded behind him. He spun around to see Pidge, opening her eyes up slowly as she pushed herself away from the wall that had suddenly coated itself in ice. "What the…" Keith muttered.

"K-Keith? What's going on? Where are we?" Pidge croaked shuddering. Keith leaned down and pulled Pidge into a protective hug, rubbing her freezing arms to warm them.

He briefly considered lying to her, telling her they were safe. But that would be cruel, better to tell the truth.

"We've been taken captive. Do you feel like yourself? What was the last thing you remember?"

Pidge was shaking, "We-Allura came to Hunk and me, and told us you and Lance may be in trouble. We went down to the planet...and then this weird buzzing noise…" Pidge's eyes screwed shut, her brows knitting together, "I can't remember much after that."

"Sounds normal to me." Keith said, he watched the icy wall, warily. "I wonder why it's just that one wall…" He muttered.

"Huh?" Pidge pulled away and looked at the wall in confusion. While the rest of the cell was warm, earthy, and damp, that one wall was frozen solid, giving off waves of cold. "That is odd, is there some kind of freezer or something next to us? The cold could be coming from there."

Keith shuffled away from Pidge, and began rubbing his hands all over the ice. "Come to think of it," He whispered, "Didn't they say they needed us Paladins for something? That Lance was far more talented than they thought…"

The gears in Keith's mind began whirring. Ice was a power that the Blue Lion possessed, these guys could use some kind of magic too...if Lance had been taken by these guys, it must have been because of some weird magic thingy he had a connection to...after all, Lance had been the only one not affected by the hypnotism...and Allura...Allura could use magic, which is why they wanted her...could Lance use magic too?

"Lance…?" Keith called through the iced up wall, "Is-is that you?"

The wall remained silent. "Keith? What are doing? They wouldn't keep Lance in a freezer, would they?" Pidge asked concerned.

"I thought-" Keith began, but then a familiar voice answered back.

"Keith? Is that you?" Lance's voice cracked, it sounded muffled thanks to the ice and earthen walls, but Keith still recognized it.

"Lance!" Keith cried, smiling, Pidge stared at the wall in awe, her eyes also sparkling with the same joy Keith was feeling.

"It's really him." Pidge said, "Lance, are they keeping you in a freezer?" Pidge called back. She hadn't come to the same realization Keith had, mainly due to her missing the information Keith had gathered.

"Um..No." Lance called back.

Pidge looked confused, "Then why is it so icy? What kind of cell are you in that it's so cold that wall in our cell connected to it gets covered in ice?"

"Um.." Lance didn't appear to know how to answer, so Keith decided to ask the question that had been growing in the back of his head since he had decided that Lance must be in the cell next door.

"Lance...do you by any chance have...ice magic now?"

Pidge stared at Keith like he had grown an extra head, "Ice magic?! Keith, have you gone insane? There's no probable way for Lance to have magic-"

"I-I do. Something those guys did to me." Lance called back, and Pidge forze just as solid as the wall.

"What." She said, "What do you mean Lance? What happened?"

"Well...I guess it something all of us Paladins can do, but onlyif our bond with our lion is strong enough. I guess mine was, but...our bodies also needed to be..uh..the alien dude said something like empty, or devoid of something-or-other. They performed this weird 'experiment' on me, and since then...well...I can create ice."

"So.." Keith said, cautiously slow, "If they do to us what they did to you...then we would also-"

"Yes, that's why they captured you guys, but it's not as great as you guys think it is. It's-well, let's just say that you shouldn't let it happen. It won't end well. I don't think our bodies are built the same way their normal prey, Alteans, are built. It can severely damage our bodies."

"Wait," Pidge said, "Did you say _Alteans_ are their normal target?"

"Yes."

"Then Allura-"  
"I know." Lance said, somber, "That's why they took her, they plan on having one of their own take control of her empty body. Their a parasitic race that require bodies capable of using magic. That's why they took me, but I already had the magic of the Blue Lion in my body, so they couldn't control me, but now that they have Allura, they'll do to her what they did to me."

Pidge gasped, horrified, "Oh no, Allura.."

Keith held a hand out in front of Pidge to keep her from saying more, "Hold on a minute, Lance, you said that those experiments they performed on you hurt your body, what happened to yo? Are you ok? How were you injured?"

Lance remained silent for a little bit. Then, "That doesn't matter, what matters right now is saving Allura, I have a plan, but I'll need your help, got it?"

"But Lance-" Keith pushed, but Lance interrupted him.

"Enough Keith, now, see if you can wake Hunk, I know he's in there with you, don't ask me how I know, just wake him up. We have a princess to save."

But Keith could not stop himself from worrying about Lance. Keith was always trying to downplay his injuries, and he knew that that was exactly what Lance was trying to do right now.

"Lance, what happened to you. Tell. Me. Now." Keith pushed harder.

Lance sighed, "You really aren't gonna let this go, huh?" Keith didn't answer. "Ugh, fine, I have a broken rib and ankle from running away, a few thousand cuts, all shallow, a few scars here and there...and...um, a concussion."

"That's it?"

"Yes."

Keith could tell that Lance was hiding something, and he guessed there were more than 'a few' scars. He hadn't missed the fact that almost none of those injuries were from the experiments. But he didn't say anything, he also held kept his hand held out in front of Pidge to keep her from saying anything, despite the fact that she also appeared to have come to the same conclusion as Keith.

"But Keith," Pidge whispered, "Lance-"

"If he won't tell us now, I doubt he'll tell us later either, but we have a better chance of finding out once we escape, so let's play along for now, until we can do a close inspection of what happened to Lance. I get the feeling it's not good." Keith responded quietly.

Pidge nodded.

"Um, guys? Did you say something?" Lance called through the wall.

"Nope, nothing at all." Keith said, "Now, Pidge," She shot up, "Wake up Hunk, we have an escape plan to plot."

* * *

Allura's cell was not like the others. It was dark, dank, and sour smelling. An unsettling chill filled the atmosphere, and she could here the clicking noises of bugs creeping around.

She shivered, not from cold, but from fear. Solid, paralyzing, and utterly real horror of what awaited her.

Lance, Keith, Pidge, Hunk, Shiro, Coran. What would happen to them? Would they escape? Or would they remain captive upon this nightmarish planet forever?

What would happen to her?Would she be saved? Killed? Or used for unspeakable evil?

Allura had the feeling it would be the later. And it was that fate that scared her the most. She felt a cold hand grasp her harm, a wrenching, painful feeling, and Allura found herself, covered in tree goop, shivering on the ground just outside her cell. She gazed upward, only to come face to face with a new alien.

Amphibious yet human like hands. Dressed in robes of black, it's face blank and stretched long. Tentacles wriggling where its mouth should be.

 _"_ _Good morning princess, are you ready to accept your fate?"_ It's voice was chilling, and vibrated cruelly through her head.

"The-the others, what will you do to them? What is their fate?" Allura asked, her voice quivering with fear.

Despite being almost featureless, Allura could have sworn she saw the alien smile.

 _"_ _Their fate is...special. But enough about them, come,"_ It lifted her up and began pushing her down a nearby tunnel, deeper and deeper, until they reached an earthen room, empty save for a table that seemed to have grown up out of the ground. _"We have some work to do."_

 _A/N: I know, I know. This chapter took_ _ **way**_ _too long to write, but hey, I've been busy, my musical is this week, so no more updates until sometime next week, sorry! Thanks for all your wonderful comments though, I read all of them, and they really help keep me writing. Till next time!_


	7. Winter Light

**WINTER LIGHT**

 _A/N: Thank you all for your support! I'm very surprised by just how many people seem to enjoy my crappy writing. I have to write this on a school ipad that thinks "isn't" should be autocorrected to "ain't". ~_~ Please read below to hear about a surprise drawing activity I need help in!_

 _"_ _Mamá, mamá!" Lance cried, running as fast as his little legs could carry him, "Anton is hurt!" He ran, smack into her leg, his nose stung, but he refused to cry. "Mamá, AntonandIwreplayingonthebeachand,and,hewentintothewater-"_

 _"_ _Lance, niño, calm down chico, I can't understand you when you speak that quickly, take a deep breath, then tell me what happened, okay?"_

 _Lance nodded, breathed in deeply, and spoke, "Anton and I went down to the beach, he went into the water and started splashing me, then he said something touched him, now he's not ŵaking up and he's shaking and, and-"_

 _His mother lost her usual smile, "Take me to him, now." She said, suddenly stern._

 _They raced over, his mother handed Lance some coins for the nearby pay phone and told him to call an ambulance._

 _Anton had been stung by a jellyfish._

In the end, Anton had lived, but he had angry red marks up and down his leg from where the tentacles had wrapped themselves around his leg. Anton had complained of a burning sensation running through his leg for weeks afterword. Electricity was painful.

Lance was reminded of this moment as he ribbed his arms. The feathery pattern on his skin tingled and left little pockets of static-like shocks every once in awhile.

The plan had been rehearsed in Lance's head over a million times in the past hour. Too many things could go wrong. In fact, they all agreed that it was doomed to fail from the very beginning. But, it was their best hope. So it would have to do.

There was a second half to the plan that Lance had not told any of the others, this was because he knew they would not like it. Lance shook his head, _don't think about it_ , he told himself, _focus on the first half for now_.

Lance hoped Hunk would be able to follow through on the plan. He was a little worried about him.

Hunk was still a little loopy from being hypnotized, but they all figured it was because he was a lot larger than the rest of them, and it would take time for the effects to wear off. He understood the plan when they told it to him, but…

"Hey-hey guys! Check out this- _hic_ \- Check out this cool- _hic_ -Cool pattern in the- _hic_ -ice!" Hunk giggled, "It looks just like- _hic_ -Just like Coran's- _hic_ -Mustache!"

Lance shook his head. He couldn't see Hunk, but he could feel the vibrations in the ground everytime Hunk stumbled and fell. "Hunk, buddy, we need you to focus, okay? Can you do that for us?"

"Sure thing- _hic_ -Old pal."

Lance groaned. Hopefully Hunk would be fully coherent when the time came for the plan to go into action. The first half was simple.

Lance knew that the Aliens would return for him, sooner or later, and as soon as he was taken out of his cell, he would knock out the Alien (Lance didn't tell them how, it was already painful enough knowing that the only way to defeat them was to.. _no, stop thinking about that, it will only make things harder_ ).

After that, Lance would have only a few minutes at most to find a way to remove Keith, Hunk, and Pidge from their cell.

Luckily, the Aliens didn't seem to understand what a bayard was, and both Hunk and Pidge still had theirs, so Hunk would take the front, Pidge the back. Ready to defend the group from any enemies.

Lance was the backup, he would be there next to Keith, ready to use his ice powers at any given moment. They would search the small enclosing, find Allura, free her, then make a dash for it.

Simple. Yet stupid. Everything could go wrong, but, they had no other choice.

Lance sat on the ground, closed his eyes, and began to meditate. Breathe in. Breathe out. Slowly. Deeply. Don't think about that, or that, _definitely_ not that. Just focus on the plan. The second half this time. Know what you need to do.

Part two. The part Lance hadn't told the others, the part that, if the first half worked, would secure their escape. He had to prepare himself for what he was about to do.

Lance had seen first hand just how powerful these Aliens were. Escape was near impossible...unless someone stayed behind to distract them.

Lance was already in bad shape anyway. He could no longer hear out his left ear, and he made the educated guess that that was one injury the pods couldn't heal. Afterall, healing still left scars. They weren't miracle workers, they couldn't bring someone back from the dead, they could only accelerate the healing process. And there was no cure for deafness.

He was useless as a fighter now, he couldn't protect his friends anymore if he couldn't hear an enemy coming from the left side. Not to mention...Lance had done the unspeakable...he had killed an innocent being who had been taken captive by evil….and he was ready to do so again to save his friends. Who would want a cold-blooded killer, a _murderer_ , on their team?

Certainly not a group of intergalactic heroes.

Lance had changed. He was a killer, a useless warrior, and no longer human. He wasn't. Right? Humans couldn't use magic, it was impossible. And now, Lance had an ice cold power, capable of harming innocent people, like his friends. What if Lance accidentally harmed one of them with his power? He could never forgive himself if what happened to that Alien happened to his friends.

So Lance made the decision to stay behind. To defend his friends, and allow them to escape. Blue was the most open to new Paladins, right? That meant that he could be easily replaced. Afterall, it wasn't like he was that important anyway.

He wasn't a natural born leader like Shiro, he wasn't an expert pilot or fighter like Keith. He wasn't a genius like Hunk and Pidge. He didn't know how to fix, fly, or control the Castle-Ship like Allura and Coran. He didn't have a lost family, or tragic backstory. He didn't have Alien friends or a goal. He had no reason to be here. So why should he be here?

Why was he fighting a war in space that had nothing to do with him? Yes, he wanted to protect people, friends, family. He wanted to be a hero, to save people. He wanted a sense of purpose. To make his family proud of him. Of Lance. The class clown, and team failure.

He would stay behind. And they could find a Paladin who had a better reason to fight than Lance. Afterall, he was just a boy from Cuba, fighting a war that had nothing to do with him for _moral reasons_. A boy fighting a war with no talents. Except self sacrifice.

He nodded to himself. That's right. He wasn't the team sharpshooter, but he sure as Hell could take a hit. And he would. This was his new family, forged in the cold-hearted void of space. And he would do what Lance does best. Sacrifice himself for others. For his family, his friends, his teammates, _aquellos a_ _quienes_ _ama_.

And, if it came down to it, he would even do something that scared him to death. Literally. Lance had done to calculations, and knew it was possible. As soon as his friends escaped, if he couldn't hold the Aliens back, he would turn the entire planet into an ice block. Sealing, both him, and the Aliens, in a tomb of ice.

 _This is for them_. He told himself, as he prepared for the inevitable.

* * *

 _Thud_. The ground shook as Shiro landed on the planet. He began to stand up and walk out of Black to study the new environment, but a warning growl from Black stopped him.

"What's wrong girl?" A sudden dizzying feeling struck Shiro, and he grabbed onto the control board to steady himself. "Woah, what the heck?" He mumbled. A buzzing noise filled his head, but Black roared and the buzz fled. "Black, what's going on? What just happened?"

Black couldn't speak, but she flashed images of people, falling under a spell, being controlled by an evil presence.

"Hypnotism? Is that why you don't want me to leave? Because if I go out there, I'll be hypnotised?"

Black gave a low growl.

"I'll take that as a yes. So is that what happened to Keith and the rest of the group?" Another low growl. "Got it, but why would whoever did this, hypnotize them all?" This time, Black didn't have an answer.

A loud roar shook Shiro from his thoughts. It was Blue. She was calling out for Lance, smashing plant life beneath her giant metal paws.

Shiro turned on the com system, "Blue! Calm down! We'll find Lance, okay? Right now you need to be quiet, someone might-"

A bright blast flew at Black, only stopped just in the nick of time by her shields, which Black had switched on on her own, right before the blast hit its mark.

"Hear us…" Shiro finished, weakly. He shook himself in an attempt to regain focus. "Okay, Blue? I know I'm not your Paladin, but I am the leader. So I need you to listen to me, alright?"

Blue roared.

"Um, I'll take that as a 'yes sir', okay, help Black and me fight back against the hostile aliens, they must be trying to stop us from reaching everyone else. We defeat them, we find Lance and the rest of the group, okay?"

Shiro took a gander and decided that Blue agreed with him since she began firing rapid shots of blue plasma. Black and Shiro joined in, and in no time flat, they appeared to have defeated all the attacking Aliens.

"Alright girls, let's go save some Paladins." Shiro said.

They raced across the surface, trampling everything in their path. Blue was the worst. She kept firing her laser, destroying even things that weren't in the way as she rampaged through the forest in search of her lost Paladin.

Shiro saw something.

"Blue! Freeze!" Blue stopped in her tracks, processing what Shiro had just noticed.

The two lions lay, hidden behind some foliage, a clearing right in front of them. Shiro's body tingled with adrenaline, and an animal like sense of...wrongness.

This whole place set Shiro's nerves on edge.

"What is this place?"He murmured to himself. He closed his eyes and looked through his Lions. He could now see what she saw, and what she saw was not good.

A black, heavy presence filled the area, with little glowing lights, hidden inside trees.

Red, green, and yellow, were all gathered together. Keith, Pidge, and Hunk. They must have been taken captive. The yellow was wavering, like Hunk was on the verge of being himself, caught between self control, and loss of self. Green was changing form and shades, as if Pidge was in control, but struggling to remember who she was.

Red was pale, but solid. Keith had gone all the way, but found himself. He knew who he was, but he was still weak, slowly gaining strength.

Shiro guessed they had all been hypnotised, but were now recovering from the experience, free from the Aliens control. Good. That was good.

He shifted his gaze over to the right, and promptly opened his real eyes in surprise. What the heck? Was that...Lance? He closed his eyes again and searched for Lance's quintessence.

It was still blue, just like before, but now it seemed hard, increasing in a powerful sense of pressure. Icy white mixed with a deep, sea blue. And the edges were jagged, crackling as if Lance's aura had been frozen solid. It showed no sign of previous hypnosis. Only cold, sharp, power.

"Lance...what happened to you?" Shiro whispered in awe. He forced himself to look away, and instead try and find the one aura he was most concerned about. _There_!

A struggling pink quintessence, fighting its way out of the black, but slowly being pulled into it.

"Allura!" Shiro cried out, his eyes snapped open, and he pushed himself out of his seat, "Sorry Black, but Allura needs my help." He shoved his helmet on and flipped the visor over his face. His Galra arm glowed as Shiro weaponized it.

He ignored Blacks cries for him to stay, and manually forced the hatch open.

"Don't worry Allura, I'm coming." He said to himself, as he forged ahead into certain danger.

* * *

Keith was worried, he knew Lance was hiding something. Something bad. He could sense it in Lance's little moments of hesitation, in his quivering voice, in his refusal to divulge everything that had happened to him.

He knew that Lance had a tendency to put himself in danger for the sake of others. It made him a great warrior, and teammate. But a terrible friend. Keith couldn't live with himself if Lance died for him. Of course, he would never tell Lance that. Lance would tease him endlessly if he found out.

So Keith made a silent promise. If Lance decided to play hero and sacrifice himself for the group, then Keith would stay by Lance's side and sacrifice himself as well. Lance would not be alone in his choice. Keith knew he couldn't persuade Lance to change his mind, so helping Lance was the only thing he could do.

"Gah-ah!"

Keith shot up, "Lance! What's happening?"

"They're-ah-They're pulling me th-through-Ow!" Keith heard something that reminded him of the sound his boots made when he pulled them out of the mud after a rainy day. Almost like a _shluck_. Lance panted, "It hurts a little, get ready!" A _pop_. And Lance's voice went silent.

Keith sat there in anticipation, Pidge shaking as she huddled up close to him, Hunk sitting down, placing his head against the iced wall in an effort to ease the pain that had made its home in his head.

Then, a blood curdling scream pierced the stagnant air. Pidge squeaked and huddled closer, shoving her face into Keith's chest.

Keith hugged her, tight. He squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth. Pidge was far too young to be caught up in this war. He opened his eyes, and almost screamed as a bloodied, gunked up brown hand reached in through the cell wall. Little, feathery, white patterns flowed across the skin. He almost didn't recognize it.

It took him a second to realize that it was Lance's. He gripped it tight. "Pidge, Hunk, our rides here."

Both pulled themselves upright, and held hands with each other, Pidge's free hand clinging to Keith's, and, one by one, Lance pulled the group from their cell.

Lance hadn't been kidding. It hurt like hell. Every inch of Keiths body screamed for dear life as his molecules were ripped apart, then reformed outside.

He shook, laying down upon the cold ground. He was covered in a mucus like substance, and his insides squirmed. He heard Hunk turn away and vomit into a nearby plant. Pidge was coughing. Her coughs sounded different from everyone else, tiny, almost like a mouse.

Slowly, Keith opened his eyes, a steady, but cold hand, gently lifted him up, then did the same with Pidge and Hunk.

Keith looked around, he couldn't see a body anywhere. What happened to the Alien that Lance had knocked out? He turned to face Lance, and stumbled backward.

Frosty air flowed across Lance's skin, which was covered in cut marks and bruises. His ankle was a mangled up mess, it was a miracle Lance was still standing. The same feathery pattern Keith had seen on his arm was stretched across his body. He could see it through the tears in Lance's clothing, spread across his chest, arms, and back. His chest was the worst. A lump of those feathery patterns were gathered in the shape of a webbed hand, and, instead of the pale white color of the rest of the marks, it was an angry red.

Keith looked up and saw Lance, staring grimly, back at him. His eyes were cold and dead, and his left kept twitching, like he had Tourettes or something. Electrocution. Keith recognised these symptoms. He had seen them before in pilots who had crashed and been caught in exposed wires. Keith wondered if anything else had been affected by the torture. Electricity left long lasting marks and problems.

He walked up to Lance, and began pulling one of his eyelids open.

"Ow, Keith? What the hell?!"

Keith ignored him, "Look to your left, okay, now left...up...down." Lance obliged.

"What are you doing man?" Lance asked when Keith removed his hand.

"I know when someone's been electrocuted Lance, luckily, you seem to be able to speak clearly, no slurring, your vision seems to be working fine too, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"Four, now put your hand down, we have an escape plan to follow through on, and I'm sure the other Masters heard my attack, they're probably on their way now."

"One more test Lance, I need to check your hearing."

Lance snapped, and glared at Keith, "I'm fine!" He yelled. Keith backed away in shock. He had never seen Lance so angry before.

"Lance," Pidge whispered, "He only wants to know if you're okay, Hunk and I are worried about you too. You don't seem to be in good shape."

"Yeah bud," Hunks voice was slurred, as he was still fighting off the effects of being hypnotised, "Just let him check, alright? And that ankle doesn't look that great either, you shouldn't be moving with it."

Lance sighed, his anger faded, but he remained stern, "I know you guys care about, alright? I get it. But right now, we need to get to Allura and save her, before they do to her what they did to me. They want more members for their Slenderman gang, and no way are they getting our Princess, got it?" They all nodded, sullenly, "Good, now c'mon, get in the formation we talked about, Hunk, up front, Pidge, down back. Keith and I will take the middle ground."

They all scurried into formation. "Which way leader?" Hunk asked.

Lance didn't answer, so Keith gave his shoulder a soft shove with his own, "He means you Lance."

Lance looked surprised, "M-me?"

"Yeah you," Keith said smiling, "What are you, stupid?"

"But-but...I'm not the leader, just call me Lance, okay? We're a team."

Keith rolled his eyes, "Listen, Lance, who was the only one _not_ affected by the hypnosis? Who was the one who tried to warn the rest of us and save our buts? Who fought Aliens for who know how long we've been here on this God-forsaken planet? Who continued to protect us, came up with a plan, acted upon it, and brought us all together to save everyone?"

"Um.."

Keith scoffed at him, "Wow, I knew you could be dumb sometimes, but _this_ dumb? C'mon man! We need you to step up and be a leader, besides, the rest of us don't know this place like you do, so stop being stupid and help us!"

Lance nodded, then pointed to their left. "That way, down those stairs, that's where they took me every time they performed their experiments. That's probably where they'll take Allura too."

Hunk nodded, and began marching forward, giving his body a shake every time he began to doze off. Quickly, they hurried inside the stairwell, and crept down, down, down, into the depths. Only to come face to face with someone they did not expect to be down here.

" _Shiro_?!" Keith cried.

* * *

Allura's body shook, with anger, or with fear, she did not know. The two emotions had blended into one a long time ago. Her ankles and wrists had been rubbed raw from her yanking, and pulling, as she attempted to free herself from the restraints on the table.

The Alien had turned away from her for the moment, preparing something that Allura could not see. She closed her eyes as she struggled. _Please, please, please,_ she pleaded, _if there is a God out there, hear my prayer and answer me, please save me from this, send someone,_ _ **anything**_ _that can save me from this fate_.

Allura didn't know it, but her prayer was about to be answered. The Alien turned around, back to Allura. Tears formed in her eyes as the Alien pulled out a large needle, filled with a sloshing clear liquid.

 _"_ _Sedatives, the last one fought back, and injured one of our own, we cannot make the same mistake twice."_

Allura cried out in pain as she felt the sharp prick of the needle, and the uncomfortable feeling of an unknown substance being pushed into her veins.

"No, please, please...No!" She gasped. Her vision blurred, and she felt a pressing darkness come down upon her. She struggled to stay awake. And before to last bit of sedative could flow into her, a flash of purple light, and the Alien went down. She stared, queasy at the needle, still sticking out of her arm.

A yank, and the needle was pulled out by a blurred figure. She felt something, cold and soft, press against her arm. A sucking feeling. She heard someone spit. Then suck. Spit. Suck. Spit.

Her vision cleared, and she saw Shiro, pressing his lips against where the needle had gone in, sucking as much of the liquid as he could from her, and spitting it upon the ground. Watery blood landed on the ground it a _splat_.

"Sh-Shiro?" Her voice was quiet, and slurred.

"That's me." He sat, spitting upon the ground, one last time. "I remember hearing about sucking venom from a snake bite out of a wound somewhere," He ripped his undergarment, and tied a tourniquet around her arm, effectively stopping the flow of sedative to her heart, "Didn't know if it work or not, I heard that it doesn't, but, it was worth a try."

"Well." Allura said, as Shiro got to work on freeing her from bondage, "It certainly works for me."

Shiro sighed in relief as he cut through the last restraint, "Good."

Once free, Shiro helped Allura stand up. Her legs shook, so Shiro wrapped an arm around her waist, throwing Alluras arm over his shoulders to help balance her.

She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, "Thank you, Shiro."

Shiro turned red, "What was that for?" He asked watching her in surprise.

Allura giggled, "Don't act like that," She raised a finger and tilted her head back, as if about to give a seminar, "'Every Princess must reward a hero with a kiss on the cheek and a medal of valor.' It's written in the royal handbook. Although your medal of valor will have to wait."

"I see." Shiro grinned, "Well, thanks for the kiss, _your majesty_."

Allura blushed furiously, "Well, I" She spluttered, "There's no need to call me that yet, I am after all, just a Princess of a long lost civilization." She sighed, "I guess...I'm not really a Princess after all, huh? Since there isn't a kingdom to rule and whatnot."

"Hey, you're still _our_ Princess Allura, so don't get all depressed, it's bad for the skin, and can't very well have royalty with bad skin care, now can we?"

Allura laughed, "I guess you're right, Shiro."

He winked, "I always am Princess, now, let's get out of here. We have some Paladins to save." He began leading Allura to the stairwell.

Her heart was near bursting with joy, soon, the other Paladin's would be rescued, and the team could flee to safety. This nightmare would finally be over.

Allura was so lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice that Shiro had stopped until she almost tripped over her own feet.

" _Shiro_?" Allura looked up in shock, it was Keith!

"Keith?" Shiro said, to two stared for another second, and Allura felt herself shifted over into Hunk as Keith and Shiro embraced.

"Oh my gosh, Shiro! I'm so glad you're okay!" Keith said, then he pulled away and gazed at Shiro with angered shock, "But what are you doing here?"

"Blue started acting weird, so I figured something bad must have happened. Black and I flew over here with Blue to save you guys."

"Blue's here?" Lance pushed himself up towards the front, smiling. Allura gasped. Lance was in terrible condition.

His ankle was unrecognizable, his clothes were torn, he was covered in blood and tree gunk, white feathery patterns had made their home across his upper torso, his left eye was twitching uncontrollably, and a frosty air surrounded him. What exactly had happened to Lance?

His eyes and skin had lost their luster, now dull and dead looking, but Lance's smile was a real smile. The thought of Blue must have made his day.

Shiro looked angry when he saw Lance, "What happened? Did those Aliens do this to you?"

Lance's smile fell, and Allura saw a new side of Lance. One of fury, and depression. "Yes, they did. They-" His voice faltered, "I couldn't be hypnotised, so they took me, they planned on making me one of their own, since they're a parasitic race, but….It didn't go so well. For me, or for them."

"I see." Shiro's voice was hard.

"Shiro, there's something you should know." Keith stepped forward, Lance grabbed his shoulder and tried to hold him back.

"Don't Keith, this is my secret to tell."

Keith didn't look to happy about that, but he let Lance take control.

"What exactly is this secret?" Allura asked. She remembered those Aliens saying that Lance was special, that's why they wanted the other Paladin's.

Lance took a deep breath, and opened his palm. A flurry of snow and ice danced across his palm. "I'm a waterbender." Lance joked, weakly. Allura stared at Lance in shock.

He had magic, that's why they wanted him. Allura had heard of past Paladin's having powers similar to their Lions, but she had figured that that was impossible for the new Paladin's, given the fact that they were all human (or part human in Keith's case).

"What-but-Lance, how-" Allura stammared. Lance waved her questions away.

"Not now, Shiro," He turned to face him, "Did you kill the Alien?"

Shiro snapped out of his quiet shock, "Um, I don't know, I mean, I hit it so…"

"I'm saying that no, you didn't kill it."

"What do you mean? How do you know it's still alive?" Allura asked. She almost wished she hadn't.

Lance's expression was dark, and sent shivers down her spine. Apparently, it did the same for the others, for they all stepped back, just a little bit. "Trust me." He said, "You'd know if you'd killed one." He pointed up the stairs, "Shiro, take Allura and the rest to the Lions, I need to take care of Slenderman down there, or else he'll take care of us first."

"But Lance, what about you-?"

Lance cut Allura off, "Don't worry about me, just _go_." Allura had never heard such commanding tones coming from Lance before.

Shiro nodded, and began leading the group up. Allura noticed Keith staying behind as well.

"Keith," She asked, "Why aren't you coming with us?"  
"Because," He said, "I know Lance like the back of my hand, I'm leaving him behind."

Allura pushed herself away from Shiro, stumbling a bit, "Then I won't either."

Lance growled, " _Go! Leave now, before more come, I can't defend you guys and defeat them at the same time_!" His voice was harsh, cold, and cruel.

Shiro latched on to Allura once more, and pushed a reluctant Pidge and Hunk forward, "You heard him, let's go."

"But Lance-!"

"He'll be fine, he's got Keith, the rest of you are hurt, I need to get you to the Lion's right away."

Allura nodded, and turned away. As they walked up the stairs, Allura wondered what other nightmares awaited them, in the battle to come.

 _A/N: Dun Dun Duuuuunnnn….Sorry it took so long to write this chapter! My musical went well, we sold out the entire auditorium! First in over 30 years of musical! Also, I am looking for people interested in drawing some fanart for both Better Off Dead and Lion In Winter, those who do, may give me a name and I will add a character in part 2 of whichever story they want in that name. If interested, please comment below! I don't care about drawing styles or how good or bad it is, only that you poured your soul, heart, and mind into it! Thanks for reading! I will update as soon as possible!_


	8. Snow Piercer

**SNOW PIERCER**

 _A/N: It's been snowing nonstop since I started writing this...Perhaps the world is turning against me in protest of my treatment of Lance. Eh. Anyway, please comment below if you are interested in sending me some fanart in return for a fun reward! (Details listed below!)_

 __Lance was scared. But he couldn't let his friends know that, so he channeled his fear into anger. Perhaps he shouldn't, but...maybe if he got them to hate him, they wouldn't feel so bad about leaving him behind.

Leave him behind, and escape. That was his wish. So why on earth was Keith refusing to leave?

"Keith! Leave with the others, now! I need to take care of the Alien." Lance growled, but Keith remained firm, unmoving.

"Shut the Hell up Lance," Keith responded, but there was no anger in his voice, only concern and a steadfastness that rivaled the very best. "You can take care of him, go ahead, but I'm staying here."

Lance opened his mouth, ready to give Keith an angry retort, but Keith held up a singled hand, and silenced him.

"Don't even _think_ of saying I'll be in the way. I am not some inexperienced kid, I've fought in battles side by side with you before, and I intend to keep fighting with you until we win this damn war."

Lance couldn't. He couldn't let Keith see how terrible he was, he couldn't let Keith see what lay behind Aliens fearsome, yet false, visage.

Keith couldn't be allowed to see Lance commit murder.

Tears burned in his eyes, angry, scared, confused, cold, hot. All these feelings spun inside of him, twisting his gut into a tight knot. "Please Keith," His voice changed, and now he was pleading instead of commanding, "Just _leave_."

"No." Keith crossed his arms, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Why!" Lance shouted in exasperation, "What will it take to get you to leave me alone!" Ice was beginning to form on his fingertips, he couldn't control it.

Keith stood, solid, feet shoulder length apart in a firm stance. "Tell me why you want me to leave Lance." He pressed.

"Because…" Lance's voice shook, and he exploded, "I'm a murderer Keith! I killed one of them before! When they die, I see their face, the one they had before they were taken over! And you do you know what I saw?!" He was shouting, and the air around him was becoming colder, wilder, the pressure was too much. Keith was being flung left and right, stumbling as he tried to keep standing upright.

"Lance! Calm down!" Keith howled, trying to pierce the air. But it was no use, Lance couldn't hear him.

Frozen tears fell from his eyes, shattering upon the ground. Everything went blue.

"I saw a girl, a girl just like Allura! An innocent Altean, and I killed her Keith! I killed her so I could live! That's what you wanted to hear right?!" Lance laughed uncontrollably, "Don't you get it Keith?! I'm a MURDERER."

A blast of ice flew from Lance, freezing everything around them. Keith covered his face, narrowly escaping being turned into a Keithcicle.

Lance breathed in sharply, stumbling back as Keith raised his head, eyes full of fear. A fear of Lance.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Keith pulled Lance into a fierce hug, and Lance broke. He clung to Keith, crying.

"I'm sorry Lance, that you had to see something like that, that you had to go through so much all on your own." Keith said, "But you aren't a murderer, Alteans haven't been around for a long time, that girl was already dead. All you did was set her free."

"You really think so?" Lance sobbed.

"I know so dumbass." Keith growled and pulled away, "Now, we have an Alien race to take of, right?" Lance nodded, "So let's go kick some ass."

Lance smiled, softly. Keith didn't hate him. He wasn't a murderer. Lance's smile faltered. Because he was still a monster. He had let his emotions get the better of him, and had nearly killed Keith with his powers. And no matter what Keith said, it didn't change the fact that Lance could kill one of the Paladins someday.

Lance shook his head. Keith wasn't leaving Lance behind, and nothing Lance did would change his mind. Which meant Lance would have to trick Keith, and force him to leave Lance behind.

"Are you coming?" Keith was watching Lance, worry evident in his violet eyes. Lance faked a smile.

"Yup, let's go." They ran back down the stairs, re-entering the room where Lance had forged so many bad memories. His body began to shake, anticipating the pain that this room caused.

A firm hand placed itself on his shoulder, "You okay, Lance?" Keith could see that there was something wrong with Lance.

"Fine." Lance shook Keith's hand off. He approached the Alien, lying prostrate on the ground. "Um," He turned to Keith, "You may want to close your eyes and cover your ears, it's-it's not something you want stuck in your head."

"Like you?" Keith said pointedly, "I'll watch. You suffered alone, but not anymore."

Lance winced, "Please, just...let this be something I have to suffer through alone. I couldn't bear it if you had to go through this experience like me, it's not really...the images never go away, they-it's hard to explain. Just...please."

Keith growled, "Fine, but know this, you _aren't_ on your own anymore."

Lance laughed softly, "I'm pretty sure you made that clear a long time ago." He waited for Keith to close his eyes and cover his ears.

Ice began to flow through his veins, a frosty glow came off of his hands in whispers of quiet, but deadly power. He placed his hand on the Alien's chest, and watched, emotionlessly, as ice coated the Alien's skin.

Cracks appeared, just like before, and the ice shattered. In its place was something Lance was not prepared for.

The last two Aliens he had killed were both grown men and women. But this Altean...was a small boy. Around Rosie's age.

"Mommy!" He screamed, writhing in pain, shrieking and calling out for someone long gone.

His eyes were a pale, robin egg blue, and underneath them, Lance could see the familiar checkmarks of an Altean, his were a vibrant green.

"Shh, shh," Lance soothed, "You're okay." His voice cracked as he attempted to sooth the small boy, before he dissolved into the ground.

Lance's heart shattered, and he began heaving sob after sob. He didn't feel Keith kneel down next to him, and place a reassuring arm over his shoulders.

"Why," He cried, "How could they do this to a _kid_!"

Keith froze, "You saw...a kid?" Keith was shaking in anger now.

"I'm sorry Lance, that you had to go through that. But now we need to finish the job, there's no way we're gonna let _any_ of those bastards live after this."

Lance stopped crying. Something inside him had broken, broken a while ago. He had tried to hold it together, keep himself sane, control his power. But now he let the broken shards worm their way through his body.

" _I'll kill them._ " He said, but now, his voice echoed, as if there were multiple Lance's speaking. His eyes began to glow a solid white. " _I swear, that not one of those Aliens will be alive when I'm through with them._ "

* * *

Guilt gnawed its way through Shiro's gut. He was leaving Lance and Keith behind! What kind of leader left two teammates behind? A bad one. That's who.

Allura was still half conscious in his arms, and Pidge and Hunk didn't look to good either. He had to get them to the ship. Ugh. His head was buzzing. Where was he again? Why was Allura leaning against him? Where were they going?

Shiro shook his head. _Focus_ , he told himself, _Black warned that they would try and hypnotize you, don't forget_.

He began chanting in his head, trying to drown out the buzz that was growing louder and louder.

 _Allura, Pidge, Hunk, Ship, Lance, Keith, Need Help. Allura, Pidge, Hunk, Ship, Lance, Keith, Need Help. Allura...uh..Pidge...Hunk...Lance, Keith, Help, Help, Help._

" _Shiro!_ " Allura's sharp tone snapped Shiro out of his blurred thoughts. "Shiro, I need you to listen to my voice, the planet is trying to hypnotize you, just focus on me, okay?"

Shiro nodded, he was tired, and hungry. But this scary woman didn't seem like one to complain to, or disobey. So Shiro kept his mouth shut and focused on her words.

"Alright, the Black Lion is just up ahead, that's it, keep going, we're almost there."

They finally reached the Black Lion, and Shiro climbed aboard, along with Pidge, Hunk, and Allura.

As soon as his feet touched the control room, a booming roar from Black brought him back to his senses. The world (and his stomach), spun uncontrollably for a full minute. When he finally regained his sense of balance, Shiro sighed.

"Phew, thanks' Black." Black purred, low and deep. Shiro turned to Allura, "Thanks' for your help too, Princess, I almost didn't make it back there."

Allura nodded, "So, Shiro, what's the plan now? Keith and Lance are still out there you know."

Shiro frowned, "I do know, and that's why I'm going back out there, they need my help."

Allura's expression changed to that of anger, "Are you insane?! You almost didn't make it back to your Lion! You're susceptible to hypnotism, you go out there...we may lose you as well."

"I know that too! But I'm the only one without any injuries who can fight right now!"

"And how do you expect to fight when you're under someone else's control? Well, Shiro? Tell me!"

Shiro growled, "I-I don't know! I don't know, okay! I just-Lance and Keith...It's all my fault! I sent them down here, and look what happened! I have to set things right!"

"No, Shiro!" Allura yelled, she placed her hands on either side of his face, and looked him straight in the eyes. Her next words were calm, soothing. Like a mother's kind voice towards an injured child. "You need to trust them Takashi."

Shiro gave a sharp intake of breath when she used his first name. He had never heard her say it before. It had been so long since someone other than Keith called him that. _Takashi_. His heart slowed down to a normal pace, his body cooled and he collapsed on the ground.

"What do you mean I have to trust them? I trusted them enough to come down here, didn't I?"

Allura shook her head, sadly, "No, Takashi. We didn't trust them, _that's_ why we sent them down here. We didn't trust them to make up on their own, so we sent them down here in the hope that it would solve our problems. But it just made them worse. They're both strong, tough. They're natural born fighters. They aren't stupid."

Shiro gave a small laugh, "Yeah, I guess they aren't, huh?"

Allura smiled, "Nope, and that's why, despite their little fights, they'll always know when to stop, and work together. And right now, we need to trust that they'll do that, and fight their way out. They can do it, I know that. They aren't weak. And we need to realize that and stop treating them like they are."

Shiro hung his head, "I guess you're right Allura."

"I always am."

He lifted his head and looked out the window, into the cold, cruel, clearing, where Aliens were beginning to gather, lying in wait for the two missing Paladin's.

"Alright." Shiro whispered, mainly to himself, "I trust you guys, so don't let me down."

* * *

Keith didn't know how to feel. He hadn't seen the face of the dying Alien, bit his hands could not block the heart wrenching sound of a child's cry for help, and Lance's soothing, yet broken, sounds of comfort.

He was amazed that Lance had gone through this experience _three times_ already, and wasn't insane.

Lance. Keith _really_ didn't know how to feel about Lance. If he was honest, Lance scared him. He had almost frozen to death when Lance had cried on the stairwell, and his eyes...well, they weren't Lance's.

Lance's eyes were like the ocean, swirling colors of blue and green, sparkling like the sun glinting off the waters. But now...Lance's eyes were cold. They were dark, more like the twilight zone than a coral reef. They were dead, and lost.

And then, when that kid had died, Lance's eyes had changed again. No more details could be seen, only a blinding white glow that swallowed up the darkness. Icy waves of anger radiated off of him, and Keith's coat gained a new layer of frost. Power pressed down upon him, increasing as Lance drew near.

Keith could never tell his friend how utterly terrified he was of him right now. Never.

" _Let's go_." Lance said, his voice was hollow, but echoed with a multitude of sounds. Wherever he walked, ice followed, beautiful arrays of growing vines of cold trailed after him, and so did Keith.

Up, up, up the stairs, until they reached the clearing. There, they met two Masters, and a crowd of the lilac Alien's from before.

" _Stay behind me, close your eyes, and cover your ears._ " Lance said, and Keith, too afraid to disobey, did as Lance asked.

He felt a cold wind whip through his hair and jacket, ice formed on his eyelids. He could hear the screams of pain coming from every dying soul as ice washed over them, killing them with its cold breath.

He could smell the icy numbness and blood. A copper taste filled his mouth. He didn't dare open his eyes, instead, reveling in the black, until he felt a frozen hand touch his hands, and remove them from his ears.

He opened his eyes, slowly and painfully, breaking through the ice that had sealed them shut. His skin was tinged blue, and he shivered, despite feeling numb.

He looked up, and saw Lance, his eyes slowly losing the white glow. " _It's alright Keith,_ " He said, " _You can op_ en your eyes now." Lance's voice returned to normal, and he gazed at Keith with the same, broken eyes he had had before. "We're safe." He, gestured to the clearing, now empty before them. "I killed them all." Lance croaked, "Every last one of them."

Keith stumbled backwards, he couldn't control his emotions anymore, and fear, a fear of _Lance_ , took over.

"Get-get away from me!" He shouted, _no, no, no,_ he thought, _stop it Keith, he's your friend, stop it right now_! But he couldn't stop.

Lance frowned, "Keith, buddy, it's me," He pointed to himself, "Lance." He reached his hand out to help Keith stand, but Keith recoiled, sneering at Lance, eye's wide with fear.

"No, no you aren't, I don't know you! You aren't Lance! Lance could never do something like this! He's too...too. He wouldn't. You aren't Lance!" Keith shouted, and he said his next words with a conviction he would later come to regret, "You aren't Lance, you're a monster!"

Now, Lance was the one stumbling away from Keith, hurt plainly evident in his eyes, "K-Keith, you don't mean that!" His voice broke, "Please Keith! I'm Lance! The Blue Paladin! Remember?" Lance was pleading now, "I-I'm not a monster...am I?" His voice was dwindling.

He reached forward to touch Keith, bit Keith just kept pushing farther away, " _Get away from me, freak_." He hissed, then he stood up and ran. _What have I done?!_ He thought, _Lance is my_ _ **friend**_ _, how could I do something like this?!_ But no matter what Keith though, his fear kept him from saying them. He just kept running until he reached the Black Lion, he leapt inside.

"Keith!" Pidge cried, leaping into his arms, "You're okay!" She stopped, noticing Keith's expression, "Is everything okay?" She asked, hesitantly, "Where's Lance?" She said, looking around for the Blue Paladin, who was nowhere to be seen.

Keith gulped, "Um, h-he's in the Blue Lion," He turned to Shiro, "He's heading back to the castle, we should do the same." _No, no, NO! Why are you lying?!_

Shiro smiled, "Alright, I trust ya Keith, let's go."

Keith nodded. But he hated himself for it.

He had never had never despised himself this much before.

* * *

Allura was being a hypocrite. After her whole spiel about trusting Keith and Lance, here she was, _not_ trusting Keith.

But who could blame her? He was acting _very_ strange. His expressions kept switching between that of fear and hatred, he kept throwing furtive glances towards the planet, which was growing smaller and smaller as they flew farther away from that nightmarish place.

Allura figured that even if Lance had gotten a head start, he would have at least sent in a comm link to let them know. And yet...she hadn't heard anything from Lance.

"Keith," Allura asked, suspicion creeping into her voice, "Where exactly _is_ Lance right now?"

"I-I already told you," Keith's voice was taut, "In his Lion."

"No, Keith," Allura pressed, "Where is he _really_?"

"Allura," Shiro said, turning to face her, "Calm down, didn't you just say we should trust him?"

"I know, but-"

"Listen," Hunk interceded, "I seriously doubt Keith would lie about Lance's whereabouts, right Keith?"

"R-right."

"Anyway, Princess," Pidge said, fiddling with a piece of loose wire she had found, "Aren't you being just a tad bit paranoid?"

Allura gasped, offended, "I am _not_ being paranoid! I am simply responding to Keith's odd behavior."

"Well, she's got ya there Keith," Shiro said, still smiling, "You have been acting awfully strange since you got on here, something happen?"

"Um, n-no."

"You don't sound too sure buddy." Hunk said, concerned, "Anything you want to tell us?"

"I-no-"

"C'mon Keith!" Pidge pressed, scooting closer to Keith, "Tell us."

"Yes Keith." Allura said, sternly, "Tell us."

Keith was getting jumpy, his forehead was sweaty, his hands quaked, and his eyes flitted from side to side. He suddenly cried out, and placed his head between his knees.

"Keith?!" Allura said, shocked at his behavior, she rushed over and placed a hand on top of his head, "What's wrong Keith? Where's Lance?"

"I left him there!" Keith sobbed, "I-I said so many terrible things to him, he scared me! I couldn't control myself! I ran away from him and lied to you guys. I left him stranded on that stupid planet! I told him he was a monster!"

Shiro's smile had turned into a scowl, his face turned red, his body shaking. "You did _what_?" His voice was livid. "Keith, _tell me_ you did _not_ abandon Lance on that planet!"

"I did. I know it was wrong!" Keith was now pleading for forgiveness, Allura's stomach turned at the thought of leaving Lance down there.

 _Keith had called him a monster_. After all that trauma Lance had been through, he had fought to save them all. And how did they return the favor? By insulting him and leaving him there to die.

"How could you!" Pidge screamed, pointing an accusatory finger at Keith, "We all trusted you! You lied to us! You hurt Lance, and left him down there without telling us?! I hate you!" She spat, turning away from Keith.

Keith just stared at the floor, silent tears streaming down his face and pooling onto the floor. Hunk's reaction, in Allura's opinion, was the worst. He wasn't yelling angrily at Keith, or glaring at him. Instead, Hunk's face had lost all color, and he refused to speak to or look in Keith's direction.

"Keith." Allura said softly, "Why did you that?"

Keith sniffled, "I-I...He used his power on the Alien, it turns out, the Altean it was possessing was a small kid. I didn't watch it, but I could hear the screams. Lance got all weird, his eyes glowed, and his skin was so cold." Keith curled himself into a ball, "Everything was so cold, I thought I was going to die. I thought that Lance would kill me. But I was wrong. So, _so_ wrong, and now…" He sobbed, "What have I done? What do I do now Allura? Please! Help me!"

This was one reason Allura hated being a leader, people came to you for answers when you had more questions than them.

But Allura was a Princess. She couldn't pity herself all day when others needed her help. She heaved a great sigh, "First of, Keith, we need to turn this ship around." She glanced at Shiro, who was sitting at the control board.

"Already on it." He said, without looking back.

"Good." Allura said, she turned back to Keith, "And after that, it's up to _you_ to help Lance, got it?"

"But why me?" Keith asked, shock echoing in his voice and eyes. "I'm not trustworthy, I'm a failure!"

"Exactly," Allura said with conviction, "This is your mess, so I fully expect you take charge and clean it up yourself, understand?" Keith didn't respond, " _Understand_?'

He swallowed, "Yes ma'am."

"Good." Allura leaned back in her chair, thinking.

 _Will this nightmare ever end?_

 _A/N: BAM. Chapter 8! Only two more to go folks! Again, any of you interested in having yourself or your own character inserted into either Better Off Dead or Lion In Winter part 2, all you need to do is send in a fanart from your favorite scene in either of those fanfics! Send it to nerdqueen395 on Tumblr, and if that doesn't work for you, let me know! Good luck!_


	9. Cold Prey

**COLD PREY**

 _A/N: Thank you so much for your wonderful comments! I'm so excited that this story is well received! One more chapter to go after this, then there will be a short hiatus. After that, be prepared for Better Off Dead Part 2! And those interested in actually being in the story, please check the notes at the end!_

 _"_ _You're not Lance! You're a monster!"_ The words ricocheted through Lance's head, making the world spin. He fell to his knees. Fear. He had seen fear in Keith's eyes. He had seen it coming, and yet...it still hit him like a ton of bricks.

 _Not Lance, not Lance, not Lance…_ Over and over again.

Keith had left him behind. Abandoned him. They all did. He knew that his plan was to stay behind, to sacrifice himself for them, but this was different. This wasn't a sacrifice, this was abandonment. His friends didn't care if he died.

An empty feeling began to blossom from his chest like a black rose of despair. _Not Lance, not Lance, not Lance._

Lance choked, covering his face with his hands, "If I'm not Lance," he sobbed, "Then...who am I?"

 _"_ _You heard him, you're a monster."_ Lance shot up, his body tingling, his heart thumping hard against his chest. The voice was in his head, but it was not his own. He recognized it, but...no way. _Badbadbadbadbad._

"What-but, no! I killed you all! Why are you still alive?!" He was spinning, left and right frantically, waiting to be ambushed. But he couldn't see anything except for cold, dead, forest.

 _"_ _Present, yes, alive, no."_ The voice hissed angrily, _"We told you before, our true form has no physical properties, we are the very air you breathe and ground you walk upon."_

A hot spike of pain struck Lance's head and sent him stumbling around, thrown off balance. He cried out, eyes scrunched in pain, hands clutching his head. He opened one eye, "I thought you said you had no physical form?" He hissed through clenched teeth, "How did you do that?"

 _"_ _You humans are so naive!"_ It laughed, _"We may not have physical forms in which to experience the joys of living, but we are still able to interact, if only just, with the world around us."_ And then, as if to prove its point, another hot jab at Lance's head made his legs turn to jelly and collapse underneath him. He cried out in pain as the force from his fall collapsed upon his injured ankle.

Lance could almost hear the sneer when the voice spoke again, _"All you did when you killed us is rid us of our physical forms. And now, you have no way to harm us. You cannot see us, you cannot hear us coming, you cannot touch us. You will perish for your insurrection, Blue One."_

Attack after attack hit Lance's head in white hot precision. It felt like a molten jackhammer was ringing against his skull. He forced himself to stand again. "Enough!" He shouted, calling his power to the surface in the hope it could save him. The world around him froze, but the hot pain continued.

 _"_ _We told you before, you cannot touch us. Your ice will do nothing. And soon, you will be weakened enough to become hollow once more, and become our_ _ **new**_ _form. You are already partway there!"_ Hollow? Partway there? What did they mean?

"What are you talking about?" Lance gasped as another hot jab forced him to the ground. Lance stumbled upright again, trying to stay on his feet.

He couldn't keep this up. His body was failing him. Each breath felt like he was swallowing liquid fire, spots burst in front of his eyes, his right ear was ringing like the bells in a church tower when the clock tolls noon. His body had gone numb, save for the sharp, hot, pain in his head.

His words were becoming slurred, and his mind muddled. He could feel something powerful building deep within him. Deep tones, pounding like waves upon the shore, echoing like a dark cavern, warm and soft, cold and hard. He recognized it, but couldn't process it.

 _"_ _We felt it when your friend's left you behind. Amazing how hollow the human soul becomes when the heart is devoid of love. Other races don't have this disability. The only thing keeping them from being hollow is having magic of their own. But you, your soul is split in two. It shares its power with the heart, both strengthening it, and weakening it."_

"What?" Nothing they said made sense. And the attacks just kept coming. Lance fell to the ground once more, and found himself unable to rise again. So he lay there, slowly fading away. Taking hit after hit, and not fighting back.

 _"_ _You have been abandoned by all those you love, your heart is hollow, and when we kill you, so will your soul. You will be an empty vessel, perfect for us to control! We will live again!"_

"No…" Lance moaned, he tried to focus, "I won't let you."

Desperate times call for desperate measures. That's a saying, or a bit of advice, or a catchphrase, or a string of words used to confuse people less intelligent than you. In any case, it means: Life is tough, so you'd better fight hard-or something like that.

And ooh boy, was Lance desperate. Desperate for a chance to live, to go on. So much, that he did something that seemed completely stupid and strange.

He imagined himself pushing back against the great force in his head, with his own hand, and much to his surprise, he felt the pain recede momentarily.

 _"_ _How are you able to fight back?!"_ The voice hissed, enraged. Lance screamed as the pain returned, stronger, harder. He continued pushing back, and he began to realize that he wasn't alone. Someone was here to help him.

"Blue?" He pushed himself up and looked behind him, coming face to face with a majestic blue lion. "Blue!" He cried out in relief. Blue was helping him push back the attacks, she had appeared, and opened his mind to the quintessence at use here. She had helped him to access both hers, and his own, and fight back.

Emotions raged war within him, and he felt himself slowly being mended, his heart becoming full once again as Blue whispered words of encouragement and peace. Love. A bond between Lion and Paladin that made all past bonds seem like petty acquaintances.

 _"_ _No!"_ The voice screamed, _"How is this possible? You were hollow! You cannot be full again! It's impossible!"_

Lance smirked. "That's the thing _culero_ , to the human race, impossible is not a word, and nothing _is_ impossible. And above all, _never_ assume someone will be hollow forever. That shared part my soul had with my heart? That love you talked about? It is something that is never gone for good, it just falls behind every once in a while, and all you need to do is wait for it to catch up."

Now, dear reader, there are times in a person's life when he or she must make a choice to believe. I choose to believe the sun will rise tomorrow. I also choose to believe that if you go to bed hungry you will wake up ready to eat. I've met a group of men in a faraway country who choose to believe that if you stand on a tree stump for an hour you will gain sympathy for trees. I am already quite sympathetic to trees, so I choose to think they are bonkers.

Lance, at that exact moment, began to believe something as well. He began to believe in a hope. Hope that he could win this, that things would get better. A hope that his dream for a better world, a better universe, a better _him_ could come true. And for humanity, believing is our greatest weapon. And hopefully, someday soon, everyone will understand that the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty and power of their dreams.

A warm wave of emotion washed over him, filling his chest with fresh, sweet, air. His vision cleared and a surge of strength overcame him. He felt close to bursting as Blue's feelings of pride and love for her Paladin burst like fireworks inside of him. His own emotions towards Blue echoing the same message.

Magic is often a tricky thing. Often it is explainable. People fly through the air in planes and live underwater in submarines. Plants grow within weeks and cities operate and sustain millions of people. A person can talk to practically anyone almost anywhere around the world instantly. People's images are transported by photo in the time it takes to press a button. Dinosaurs seem real, huge apes exist, and other worlds are a movie ticket away.

There's also the magic of thoughts, an idea can propel the world either further into the future, or back into the past. Humans can trick themselves into believing a lie through thoughts. Thoughts, the mind, it can warp reality to fit how we wish to see it.

Another type of magic is often seen on TV. It's things like _Harry Potter, Merlin,_ and _Lord of the Rings_. But in the real world, it's much different. Because it's in the real world that the real monsters live in.

And that is why we have the third, lesser known type of magic. The magic of love. A by far, better and stronger, type of magic. Because the last two? They require a constant supply. Batteries die, magic drains the soul. But love? It is something that never runs out, it is constantly growing, changing it's form to fit each person's preferences.

If anything helps to win a battle, well, just like what all those bland history books and exciting story books tell us, it's magic.

And right now, Lance and Blue had become truly one, fighting with all four types of magic.

Together, they pushed back against the darkness. A wail of pain and despair filled the air as the cruel presence of the voice was torn apart by the raw power radiating off of Lance and Blue.

 _"_ _Stop!"_ It cried out, _"Why would you sentence yourself to a life of failure?"_ It chuckled nervously, retreating for a moment. _"We see now how powerful you are, your friends do not understand you! Join us, become one with us, and will make your life_ _ **mean**_ _something!"_

Lance stood still for a moment, stunned. Then, he broke into laughter, once he had calmed down enough to speak, he smirked. " _Dios, realmente eres un loco hijo de puta._ " He shook his head in mock disappointment. His smile grew, and his eyebrow raised as if to challenge the voice, "If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself."

And with that, he and Blue pushed against the voice as hard as they could, and as the voice began to dissolve into nothingness, it gave its final words.

 _"_ _It doesn't matter, you're still a monster, doomed to an eternity of suffering. Our revenge has still come to past. And you will die a damned soul."_

Lance snarled, _"Entonces te veré en el infierno. Y que el diablo tenga misericordia de tu alma."_

The voice vanished, leaving Lance with silence. A hard pressure pushed against his back, and he stumbled forward. He turned around to see Blue, pushing her large muzzle up against Lance, whispering words of concern in his mind.

He frowned, and began stroking her oversized (Nose? Snout? He never knew what to call it.). "It's okay Blue, we won." He tried for a positive tone, but his pain stuck out like a sore thumb, and it came out husky and choked.

 _"_ _That's not I meant…"_ The sound of her voice sung softly, almost like a lullaby that only Lance could hear.

He hung his head, "I know Blue," he said, "Trust me, I know."

* * *

There are so many impatient people in the world. It seems everyone wants something right this second. We don't want to wait in lines, we get fidgety when our food takes too long to cook, and we have no tolerance whatsoever for anyone who holds us up from doing anything we want to do the moment we want to do it.

I'm bothered right now that I'm having to wait till the end of this sentence to see what word I end up on. On, who knew? It's particularly hard to wait for things that are days or weeks or even months away. Calendars mock you, clocks pester you, and the rotation of the earth seems to slow by at least forty percent.

I suppose, however, that if a friend of yours was in some kind of unknown danger, facing something so indescribably horrible, and your mode of transport suddenly chose _that exact moment_ to get smacked to the side by an unseen asteroid that simply _refused_ to register on the scanners, therefore delaying your rescue mission. Well. I'd be impatient too.

"ちくしょう _!_ " Shiro cursed. Bright red lights lit the cabin with pulsing cries of caution. Warning signs popped up like dandelions on the screen, giving words to images of the damage. Shiro wrestled with the controls, trying to bring the spiraling Black back to a steady flying pace.

He could hear the alarms blazing, mingling with Pidge's screams, Hunks groans, Allura's cries, and Keith's unending sobs, still oblivious to the chaos around him, only focusing on the fact that their rescue mission was taking far too long. The sound was deafening.

"Hold on!" He yelled, shifting the controls left and right in rapid procession, seating Black back on course. The spinning stopped, and they were headed back down to the planet, albeit a tad slower than before, due to the damage Black had received in the collision.

Shiro hadn't realized he had stopped breathing until his adrenaline wore off. He took a deep and much welcomed breath. _Patience yields focus_. They were almost there. He needed to calm down and think rationally. Keith was in such distress, that Shiro was a bit concerned about what they would come across once they landed.

Dead bodies? An icy horror? Blood stains, gore, or worse...nothing. Perhaps a dead Lance. _Focus!_ _Don't think about that,_ he scolded himself, _Lance will be fine_.

He watched Keith, wondering if he should ask him again, see if he could get anything out of him. He already had suspicions of what to expect, but just to be sure…

Shiro cleared his throat, gaining the attention of everybody except Keith. "Keith, Keith! KEITH." Keith's gaze shifted slowly upwards to meet Shiro's.

Now, I had learned years ago that despite what so many adults always said, there really was such a thing as a stupid question. I had asked a number of them myself over the course of my life. But, I had also learned that life required asking stupid questions every now and then. And luckily for them all, so had Shiro.

"Keith. I need you tell me, word for word, the situation when you yelled at Lance and left? This includes injuries, the scenery, conversations, and anything else that might prove vital to saving Lance and soothe any wounds he may have, physical or emotional. Can you do that for me?"

There is nothing quite as painful as a truly awkward silence. If you have fallen in love and you tell the object of your affection how you feel and they simply stare at you, the air still and empty, that's awkward. Perhaps you finally get up the nerve to ask your boss for a raise and after you master the courage to blurt out your request he lets it hang there in the open air. This can be an awkward silence as well.

But for some reason both these examples pale in comparison to the kind of uncomfortable silence a person might experience when after crying for almost a full two hours, is then told to recount their worst and most traumatizing memory word for word in front of the only family and friends they have.

Keith squirmed in his chair. "I-I don't know, it's all kind of a blur Shiro…." He wrung his hands nervously.

Shiro felt a pang of sympathy for the boy. He could tell just how much Keith regretted his actions. But, right now he couldn't afford to be sensitive to his feelings right now. Lance needed help, and Shiro needed info.

"Please Keith," He pleaded, "Anything at all. You want to help Lance, right?" Shiro hated playing the guilt card, but if this is what it took to get Keith to speak, then so be it.

Keith winced. His eyes were as red as his Lion, but he had cried his last tear, and so they remained dry. "Um, well… I guess it started when Lance got mad at me for staying, after you guys left." He took a deep breath, "He wanted me to leave, didn't want me to see him kill that Master you knocked out."

Shiro nodded, Lance _had_ seemed oddly tense about that when Shiro had left with Allura, Hunk, and Pidge.

Keith continued, "He said that when they died...the bodies resumed their original form. Altean."

Shiro heard a sharp gasp coming from Allura, and winced. This story would be painful for her as well. These Aliens were once a part of her civilization. And now, they were dead.

"He could hear their last words before they died. He looked so broken, and was as if he was pretending to be mad to hide his fear." Keith gulped, and shut his eyes, squeezing them tight as if to cover whatever he was seeing with darkened vision. "He started freaking out and saying how he wasn't a hero, he was a murderer."

Shiro watched as Keith's teeth began to chatter. Keith rubbed his arms, hugging himself tight like he was outside in the cold. Shivering, Keith continued his tale of woe.

"Everything got cold, Shiro, his eyes...they glowed Shiro. A bright, white, light. It was...it was scary. Everything around us froze, Lance wasn't himself in that moment.

"After that, I convinced him to let me stay, but there were conditions."

"What kind of conditions?" Shiro inquired.

"I wasn't allowed to open my eyes, I had to cover my ears. So I did that, but I could still hear when he...it was a child Shiro. A little boy, crying for his mother."

Allura had now excused herself out of the cabin, and into the entry hallway, unable to continue listening. Shiro's stomach was turning, Hunk looked like he was about to throw up again (having thrown up when Black was sent flying by the asteroid). And Pidge, oh gosh, her face had gone pale, almost white. Her eyes were a wide pit of fearful green. She pushed close against Shiro, huddling for comfort. A comfort Shiro needed just as much right then.

"The real change happened after that, the air got so cold that it was actually making crackling noises. Lance, he, well, his eyes started glowing again, he swore he would kill them all. We walked back up the stairs into an ambush, ice following him as he took the lead.

"He told me to close my eyes and cover my ears again, and I did, but…" Keith covered his face and heaved a dry sob, "I could hear screaming, bodies hitting the ground. It was so cold that my eyes were sealed shut by the ice.

"When Lance finally told me I could open my eyes again, everything, save for Lance and me, was gone.

"His eyes were still glowing and...I panicked, I got scared and yelled at him, told him he wasn't Lance, he was a monster." Keith removed his hands from his face and stared at them in horror, "But the real monster is me, I left him there to suffer alone.

"I'm a coward," He sneered, "A weak, disgusting, coward. And a terrible friend."

Shiro knew exactly how Keith felt in that moment, he had felt it himself once before...on a Galra escape pod, flying far away from a prison cell in which his closest friend and mentor still sat, rotting away. He placed a firm, reassuring hand upon Keith's shoulder, "You aren't weak Keith."

"What do you mean? Of course I am! You heard me! You know what I did!" Keith screamed, his chest heaving.

Shiro nodded, "Exactly, you told the truth, even when you could have lied. You told us all the terrible things you did down there, and set out to make it right. And guess what? It takes immense strength and incredible courage, far more than what the average person has, to tell the truth. And _that's_ why. You. Are. Not. Weak."

"Telling the truth may make me strong, but it still makes me a bad person. That truth? That's a bad truth, something I don't want to admit, but still exists! The truth is that I abandon everyone I care about!"

With that sentence, Shiro knew this was about more than just Lance. A bad memory. Something from Keith's past that only Shiro knew about, because he had been there.

He was silent for a moment, then spoke, " _Does_ truth have a moral?"

Keith stared at Shiro in confusion, "What-what do you mean 'does truth have a moral'?"

"I mean," Shiro explained, "That truth is neither bad nor good. It's simply what it is. Truth. There is no 'bad truth' Keith, only bad actions. And the same goes for 'good truth', it doesn't exist."

Keith rolled his eyes, "Fine, so not a bad truth, but a bad action. I wanted to be a friend, like he was." Keith looked down again, "He's always there for us, I wanted to prove that we all returned those same feelings. And instead, I just proved how much of a failure I am."

"Keith, we are only what we give ourselves the power to be. So focus on being a better friend, or better yet, a better _brother_ , and work towards that. There is no relationship in life that comes with the promise of zero pain. Don't count yourself out of the race until it's over, got it?"

And finally, _finally_ , Keith gave a slight smile, "Got it."

* * *

The word thing is an interesting word. At first glance it looks like the front half of one word combined with the last half of another. It's a versatile word. It can be good, as in, "what a nice thing," or "she has a thing for you." Or it can be bad, like "the thing under the bed," or "here's the thing, you're fired and you smell bad." Add an "s" to the back end of it and it becomes something that most people in the world can't get enough of.

Things  
People love things. They collect things. They store things. They cherish things and then move on and cherish other things. People also buy things. Some buy a lot of things simply because their neighbors have those same things-which is a weird thing if you really think about it.  
It's remarkable what we'll do for the sake of things when in reality things couldn't care less about us.

When Keith had been younger, he'd had a lot of _things_. He had a nice house, his own room, a loving mom and dad, friends.

He had owned books, toys, food, they'd had a red car nicknamed 'Dragon', two dogs named 'Ketchup' and 'Oven' (Keith had been going through a bit of a kitchen phase at that age).

But then, it had happened. So suddenly, and so painfully. It had been the middle of the night, Keith had been hiding under the covers, flashlight in mouth, book wide open upon his lap.

He smelled something, an acrid, burning smell. At first, he had thought it was the flashlight. It was old, and had a tendency to overheat. It wouldn't surprise Keith if it had caught fire one day.

He switched it off, but the burning smell continued, growing and growing. He pulled the covers off up over his head, and his eyes began to sting and water.

Fire. A big one. Right inside their house.

Keith had freaked out, and run out of the house as quickly as his little legs could carry him. He could already hear the wailing of sirens, the neighbors having seen the smoke, and called the fire department.

People were crowding the yard, someone grabbed Keith and wrapped a blanket around him. A large man, with a shiny bald head pulled him aside.

"You live here, right kid?"

Keith nodded.

"Where are your parents? Did they come out here with you?"

Keith shook his head, feeling the blood drain from his face. "N-no." he stammered, "They didn't come with me."

The man smiled, trying to comfort Keith, "Don't worry," He said, "I'm sure they'll be just fine, alright kid?"

Keith nodded again, tearing up. "Please be okay momma and papa…" He whispered.

I hate to mention it, but bad things happen to people occasionally-awful things that cause people to end up lonely or hurt or sad-or sometimes even dead. Maybe something awful has happened to you. I'm sorry about that, and if we were having an actual conversation I might even convince you of my empathy.

I'd like to imagine a world where there is nothing but happiness and purring, but I'm not sure there'd be much to cheer about if every day were nothing but sunshine and success. I suppose you can never know the good if you've never been visited by the bad.

After that, Keith lost a lot of things. A home, a family, a house. Friends, belongings, photos. All gone in just one night. A night of fire.

He was put into foster care, but he never stayed very long in each house. He was too moody, they said, to angry and sad. Some said he must be Autistic since he was so bad at making friends, too awkward in social groups.

The truth was, Keith didn't _want_ to make friends, he didn't need a new family either. Because the world enjoys taking things from people. And the only thing Keith had left, was a large dagger he kept hidden from the social workers. A gift from his father.

Then, Keith had made it into the Garrison. The same space exploration school his father had gone to. Keith had two things now. A dagger, and a purpose. His roommate, Shiro, became his third thing.

A friend. His first friend in almost ten years. Keith began to heal. Then, the Kerberos mission. And Keith lost Shiro, and soon after that, the Garrison.

A year later, and Shiro returned, they found the Lions, went to space. And Keith gained three things. He now had a dagger, a Lion, a home, a family, and a purpose. To save the universe.

He found out he was Galra, and that's when he discovered a thing he never knew he had until he lost it. Knowledge of who he was.

Allura shunned him, Hunk mocked him, Shiro worried about him, and Pidge treated him like a science experiment. Only Lance remained indifferent, treating Keith exactly the same way he had before.

Keith asked Lance why, and Lance had said, "Because Keith, someone once said to me, 'I am who I am because I have made myself so.', and if you continue to make yourself a powerful Paladin of Voltron, then that's who you are. You are only Galra if you choose to make yourself Galra. And until that happens, you're still Keith, the annoyingly talented Paladin, who I will one day beat in hand to hand combat! But only if you will stop using the training room for just one tick and let someone else have a turn!"

Keith was shocked, but happy. After that, Lance's positive attitude towards Keith began to spread like a wildfire. Allura started speaking to him again, Hunk stopped calling him 'Galra-Keith', Shiro smiled when he saw Keith, and Pidge began to regard him as an honorary big brother.

Keith had gained so many things, he had lost count. But then, they went to that planet. That _wretched_ planet, where everything went wrong, and Keith made stupid choices.

And lost all the things he had gained through the years. Because the world enjoys taking things.

* * *

You cannot get through life without going someplace. There are places you go to learn, like schools, universities, museums, or a library.

There are places you like to eat at, like that restaurant down the street, or that one café that has your favorite drinks for cheap.

There are places you love to go to, like home, a friend's house, a grandparents, an amusement park, a hiking trail, an open field with bright glowing stars above you. Or a nighttime walk through a busy city filled with artificial lights and music, a club where you go to spend time with your friends and dance your cares away.

Then, there are the places you would rather not go-a tax collectors' convention, a sewage treatment plant, or maybe the home of someone who keeps spiders as pets and insists on taking them out of their cages and making you hold them.

But none of those places compare to the planet that was growing ever closer in the window. It was both a place Allura wanted to go to, and stay away from. It held bad memories, but a dear friend. It filled Allura with burning fear and anger, a cold sense of dread and apprehension, a slick feeling of guilt and sadness, and the pulsating joy of seeing Lance and bringing him home again.

All of these feelings swirled inside of her like a whirlpool of chaos. Her head spun, and her stomach churned. She had excused herself from the group after Keith had told them about the small Altean boy. It had been just too much for her. Too painful.

The fact that some of her own people had been imprisoned in a body that was not their own for who knows how long, right under her very nose, was so terrible to think about that there were no words to describe how guilt ridden she was. That boy, he had been just a child, and had gone through what Allura almost had happen to her, and Lance survived.

And she was desperate for a chance to redeem herself. The Black Lion broke the atmospheric barrier, and Allura braced herself for landing. A loud _crash_ and Black had all four paws on the ground, smoke curling off of her in grey swirls of heat and acrid smells.

They were here. Lance was somewhere here. They had places to go, a friend to save. And Allura had the distinct feeling that Lance may not be cooperative.

The hatch snapped open with a low _psshhh_ of escaping air, and Allura leapt out as quickly as she could and started calling out for Lance.

"Lance! Lance!" She screamed into the air. Allura shivered, the planet had gone oddly cold and silent since she had last been here. It felt...empty, lifeless, and devoid of all things that made it real.

Shiro, Keith, and the rest of the group followed close behind her, and they joined in the yelling, scouring the planet for any sign of Lance and Blue.

Finally, Allura caught sight of the deep, rich, metallic coloring of Lance's Lion. "Blue!" She cried out ecstatically, "Blue! Lance!"

The others heard her and began running towards what Allura had seen as well. Lance was almost in sight, she was so close…

Allura froze. Lance looked...very different. His smile, his confidence, his bright blue eyes sparkling with mirth, his glowing skin, broad shoulders, his dark hair, always smelling of salt and looking like it had been swept up by an ocean breeze, and his air of constant positivity and joy...they were gone.

He had looked different when he had come to save Allura, but his presence had still felt like...Lance. Like his outside was the only change, and could be easily remedied. But this looked like something that could never be fixed, no matter what they did.

"Lance!" A cheerful Pidge, not noticing the change, began to rush forward, towards Lance, but Allura grabbed her arm. "Allura? What are doing?!"

"Hold on a moment Pidge, something isn't...quite right." Allura tentatively walked towards Lance. He looked up at her when she reached him, and smiled sadly.

"I guess those guys really did get to my head, cause' this is definitely a hallucination." He laughed, "Guess I'm crazy as well as a monster, huh? That's not a very good combination, am I right Blue?"

"Um, Lance, I'm not a hallucination, it's really me, Allura." She said, worriedly.

Lance snorted, "Uh huh, that's _exactly_ what a crazy person's hallucination would say. I refuse to believe it. The group isn't coming back for me, Keith was right, I'm not a hero. They won't want me back. They don't believe in me." Lance's eyebrows crossed as he began to glare at Allura with a fierce anger, "They don't believe I can change, I can-can-I'm sure I can find _some way_ to fix myself, become the Lance they like." He laughed again, harsher this time. "Who m'I kidding, _I_ don't even believe I can change. I'll just stay broken and useless forever."

"Oh no, no Lance, no!" Allura said, "There _are_ people who believe in you. You might not always believe that yourself, but there are—family, friends, the Lion's, me. I know that no matter what is thrown at you, you'll recover amazingly. Afterall, your _Lance_ , the greatest Blue Paladin Voltron has _ever_ had." She hugged him tight, and Lance's eyes went wide in shock, "So please come back with us, so we can help you recover."

Lance began to hyperventilate, "You-you can touch me, that means that-you-you're not a hallucination-" Lance gagged, then began to cry, shaking uncontrollably as he hugged Allura tighter, "You really came back for me. It's stupid, I know, I was going to sacrifice myself before, but you guys still left without a second thought and Keith, he-he said I wasn't Lance. I thought you all hated me!" He was laughing as well as crying now, and the two fell to their knees, Allura beginning to cry as well.

"Lance!" Pidge's small form came flying at him, and she joined in on the hugging. Then came Hunk, soon followed by Shiro. All hugging each other, and crying.

Only one thing was missing.

" _Ahem_." Lance moved his head up at the same time Allura turned hers. Keith was standing there, hugging himself tightly, and not looking in Lance's direction.

"H-hey there, Lance." He muttered hoarsely.

"Keith."

 _A/N: This is by far the longest chapter I have ever written. Also, cliffhanger. Last chapter to be posted next week! (hopefully). If you are interested in being added to Better Off Dead or Lion in Winter part 2, all you need to do is send me some fanart of your favorite scene in either of them (I don't care if you can draw or not, so don't worry about that) and information about the character you want put in and which story you want to be in. You can contact me via Tumblr, nerdqueen395, if that doesn't work for you, let me know below in the comment section. Thank you!_


	10. Serendipity

**Serendipity**

 _A/N: Last chapter folks. Sorry I took so long, my life got a little hectic. I went on several camping trips, ended up in a car rollover (everyone's fine!), visited family and got my summer homework done! So now I have time to finish. Thank you to everyone who read this, I am so glad you enjoyed the series!_

Lance felt as light as feather, hugging Allura, knowing that she was real, that they had come back. Pidge had joined in, and soon Hunk. Even Shiro, albeit not balling his eyes out like the rest, enveloped Lance in a warm embrace.

Tears fell and laughs abounded. Lance was safe, he wasn't alone, he could go home. They didn't hate him! The cared about him! And the Keith had showed up.

The thousand pounds that had been weighing Lance down before came crashing down upon him once more, and all the air in his lungs puffed out as Lance said one word.

"Keith."

After a great loss, after a difficult victory, after suffering extreme trauma, Lance wished life would give him a longer break. Not two hours. Not two days. Two years. Some serious time to pull himself together. Why did life always have to roll relentlessly forward? Why was every victory or defeat followed by new works and new problems?

Why was Keith here? Had the others forced him to come back? Hadn't Keith said that Lance was a monster? Why would he come back of his own free will if that was what he thought of Lance?

The other Paladins slowly, and uncomfortably, unraveled themselves and pulled away from Lance. He wished they wouldn't, he didn't know how to feel right now.

Keith just stared at the ground, and Lance at Keith. Both remained silent, the tension the air growing so taught, a single touch could make it snap.

Shiro placed a hand on Lance's shoulder, and leaned into (thankfully) Lance's right ear. "You should go talk to him, he's very sorry about what happened before." He whispered.

"I-I don't know if I can face him. Not yet." Lance croaked.

Shiro frowned, "You have to talk with him at some point Lance, it's hard to forgive others, but it's necessary. You can't live your life holding on to grudges, they'll only weigh you down."

Lance winced, "I know that, it's just...I'm not ready to forgive him, no, I don't think I _can_ forgive him so soon after all….this. Just...give me a few days, please, Shiro?"

Shiro sighed, "Fine, I'll talk to him. Two days, that's as long as I'm giving you to think about it. After that, you and Keith need to talk, and if I need to make that happen, then so be it, got that?"

Lance nodded, "Clear as day, sir."

Shiro walked over to Keith, and whispered something in his ear. Lance watched, guilt gnawing at him, as Keith looked up at Lance in a sad form of horror, then turn around, and walked back towards Black without saying a word. He kept his fists clenched tight at his side, and his steps awkward and stiff.

Lance felt terrible, but what Keith had said to him was something that Lance would have a hard time getting over. Eventually, Lance would have to face Keith, this, he knew. But, at least he would have some time to think about it.

After many "I'm glad you're okay's" and "Thank heavens we found you's", the group split up and headed to the Lions. Allura and Keith with Shiro, Pidge and Hunk with Lance.

Lance didn't know what it was like for Shiro's group, but Pidge and Hunk spent the entire trip celebrating. Pidge stuck next to Lance like glue, and Hunk was listing off all the cool food he would try to make once they returned to the Castle-Ship. Including replica's of all of Lance's favorite Cuban delicacies.

After what seemed like minutes, but was actually hours, the group made it to the ship, where Coran was waiting for them. As soon as Lance was within his view, he rushed forward and pulled the Blue Paladin into a tight hug.

"Woah there Coran," Lance half laughed, half wheezed, "Watch the ribs bud." After Coran pulled away, Lance smiled, "Miss me much?" He joked.

Coran returned the smile, "You have no idea. Are you aware of how long you were down there?"

Lance pondered on the question, trying to assess just how long he had been prisoner, "Um...I'd say about...er, a two or three quintant's?"

Coran laughed, "Try six or seven my friend."

Lance stared at Coran, frozen in place, "That long?" He whispered.

Coran smiled comfortingly, "No worries Lance, you're home now, you're safe. How about we get you to a pod, eh? Those wounds look pretty nasty."

"They are." Lance replied. Everything hurt, and the world was beginning to spin around him. Black dots popped into view, and before Lance knew it, was falling to the ground, Coran catching him before he could add yet another injury to the already lengthy list.

Keith stared at the pod despondently. Inside, hidden behind a tinted glass, was Lance, still healing almost three days later. After Lance had passed out, Keith had volunteered to carry Lance over to the healing pods, and the others, pity in their eyes, quickly agreed. Keith didn't need their pity, no, he didn't _deserve_ their pity.

Keith winced as he remembered Shiro talking to Lance, then coming over and whispering in his ear, _"Not yet. He's not ready to forgive you. Just give him some time."_. A burning, prickling sensation grew behind his eyes, but Keith pushed back.

Behind him, a doorway opened, and in walked Pidge. She reached up high, her tiny figure barely reaching his chest, and placed a slender hand upon his shoulder. "Keith? Hey bud, Shiro asked me to check up on you, you haven't eaten yet today, and you barely ate yesterday either. You need food, and rest. Your eyes are darker than space. You must take better care of yourself.

Keith remained silent, frozen in a state of overwhelming depression.

Pidge sighed, "I'll bring your dinner in here, but you better eat it, got that?"

No response.

Pidge walked away, and Keith clenched his fists. He wasn't hungry, and he wasn't tired. Keith, was determined. Determined to be there when Lance woke up, determined to apologise, to mend his relationship with Lance. It was all his fault. If Keith hadn't given into the sweet allure of the planet and lost control of himself, Lance might have never been captured. None of this would have happened, Lance would still be happy and annoying, he wouldn't have had to become cold, and cruel to protect himself. He wouldn't have those scars that would mark him as a victim for the rest of his life.

Lance had to pay the price for Keith's mistake, and Keith had repaid him by calling him a monster. Keith relaxed his hands and took a deep breath, continuing his endless watch over Lance's pod.

Lance was lost, somewhere in the dark. "Hello?" He called out, "Anyone there?". A bright streak of lightning struck right beside Lance, and he stumbled backward, screaming in fear. Another strike, and more and more. They kept coming, and Lance kept running. He checked behind him and ran right into someone else. He knew exactly who it was before he even saw her. He'd recognise that smell anywhere.

Homemade _Pastelitos de Guayaba_ , tobacco leaves and violets. " _Madre?_ " Lance stared up into the deep brown eyes of his mother, her tan skin was warm, as if she had just come in from off the beach, her chocolaty hair was spun into a bun to keep it out her face while she worked. Tears ran free down Lance's face as his mother pulled him into her arms and squeezed him tightly.

" _Mi pequeño, todo crecido._ " She whispered, brushing his hair, "How you've grown, _mi alma, mi vida, mi hijo_."

"Are you real? Or is this just a dream?" Lance murmured.

His mother looked around, "I'm not sure son, For me, this is my dream, but perhaps _dios_ decided to grant us both a blessing and dream of each other, either way, I am so glad I got to see your handsome face once more." She grabbed his chin and began turning his head, getting a good look at him. "You've changed _hijo_ , what happened to you?"

Lance glanced down, "You'll never believe me _madre_."

" _Por favor hijo_ , just tell me."

So Lance began at the very beginning, telling his mother of all his adventures, the scary ones, the fun ones, the ones that no-one knew quite how to describe. He gave her every minute detail, how he felt, what he thought, all right down to his latest adventure, with those horrible, hollow creatures, and how, he had been forced to kill them.

Lance broke down at that part, " _Lo siento madre_ , I know how disappointed in me you must be."

"Disappointed? No _mi cielito_ , I am _proud_ of you. You are a hero, a...Paladin of Voltron."

"But-but _madre_ , I-I _killed_ people!"

"No, you _saved_ them."

"What?"

Lance's mother smiled at him and squeezed him once more. "Think of it this way son, what would you have wanted if you were trapped in the last moments of death, in a never ending agony in a form that was not your own?"

Lance didn't even have to think about it, "I would have wanted to die."

"Exactly." His mother stared him straight in the eyes, "You saved those poor people, along with any other travelers who might have come across that planet. I am not disappointed _hijo_ , I am proud of my little heroic boy." She ruffled his hair, "Now, about this friend who called you monster, does _madre_ need to teach him a lesson?"

Lance chuckled, "No, he sent the ship back and tried to apologise."

His mother nodded, "Ah, then all _es bueno, ¿sí?_ "

Lance shifted uncomfortably, "Not-not quite."

His mother frowned, "What do you mean?"

Lance sighed, " _Madre_ , how do you forgive someone when they seem unforgivable? Is a 'sorry I called you monster and abandoned you' truly forgivable?"

His mother thought for a moment, "No, it isn't. But you know what _hijo_? Sometimes we must simply move on and forgive the ones who are past forgiveness. That is the only way to keep the world moving down the right path. We all make unforgivable mistakes, but if no one ever forgave, where would we be? You don't have to trust him, or call him a friend just yet. But forgive him. The poor boy seems terribly distraught about it, you should ease his pain, alright _hijo_?"

Lance smiled, " _sí, madre_." A flash of blue caught Lance's eye and he checked behind his mother to see Blue striding towards them.

His mother looked over her shoulder to see what Lance was looking at and noticed the large, metallic lion. "Seems like my time is up."

"What?"

His mother turned back to Lance, "That's one special creature _hijo_ , it's what led me here."

"Blue?" Lance stared up at Blue, and rubbed his eyes, "Thank's blue," he whispered, "I needed this."

His mother gave him one last hug, " _Te amo mi niño, sé valiente, sé fuerte y hazme sentir orgulloso._ "

" _Yo también te amo mamá_." Lance said, hugging her back. Then he watched, with both a sadness and a joy, as his mother walked away. "I'll see you soon." He whispered, just to himself, "I just gotta save the universe first." He looked up to see a bright white light coming down, and he opened his arms, and let it take control.

Keith had lost track of time, as bowls and plates full of food continued to gather around him. Everything was blurry, and fuzzy. The only clear thing in the room was the pod Lance was in.

And then, the pod began to open. Keith stood up straighter, everything coming back into focus. "Everybody!" He called out as loudly as he could, "He's waking up!" The pod finished opening and Keith reached out and caught Lance before he hit the ground.

Lance groaned and opened his eyes slowly, trying to focus. Someone was holding him. He stood up and stared right into the face of Keith. A fist of fear and hate gripped his heart, only to be loosened as he remembered the conversation he had had with his mom.

Lance noticed deep bags under Keith's eyes, and how thin Keith had become. Keith truly was depressed over this whole event, wasn't he? Lance smiled and placed a hand on Keith's shoulder, "Hey bud, what's up?"

Keith smiled, "Not too bad, how bout' you?"

Lance shrugged, "Could be a little better."

Keith's smile fell, "Listen, about what happened, I am so, so, so sorry. It was all my fault and-"

Lance held up his hand, "Whoa there, calm down man. It's ok."

"Wh-what?" Keith looked confused, "But, I abandoned you, left you to die, mocked you. It _can't_ be alright?"

Lance just smiled, "It might never be _alright_ , but we're friends. So I forgive you. It's all in the past, got it?"

Keith stared at Lance, stunned. Then slowly, he grinned and held out his hand to shake Lance's. "Deal."

Lance shook Keith's hand. "Now, I do believe we have a couple galaxies to save from the Galra, what'd'ya say we go out there and get to work?"

"Right behind you man."

And together, they walked out of the pod room to meet with their friends, who were waiting with smiles, laughter, hugs, and a bond that would never break again.

 _That's it folks. I'm done. I am so glad you all enjoyed the story, I hope you all have a grand day, and keep on smiling and moving on. In case you are interested in reading some of my original work, visit this website_ _/series/Druid-Forest1_

 _The story is about a boy named Ethan Peregrin, a lazy nobody, who meets a druid girl named Kit Sparen who tells him he is destined to be a hero of mankind (whether he likes it or not). But the price for saving the world may be a little higher than he's willing to pay...It's very sad. You should read it._


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